Oryoki

Ah peace. My entire household is asleep and the quiet is delicious. I feel content, happy and in the mood for some obscure Japanese trivia. Random, I know, but that is just how I work.

I recently read a book which was about Japanese begging bowls among other things. Buddhist monks take a begging bowl, or oryoki, with them wherever they go. They live on whatever food or money is placed inside. I love the image of greeting each day with an open bowl, ready to receive. To the monks, it is a sacred obligation to accept every offering with gratitude. Generous, stingy and mean-spirited offerings are received alike, with gratitude and humble acceptance. The scriptures tell us to "give thanks in all things." When was the last time I lived that as a sacred obligation? Can I keep myself as open as a bowl when I know my day is careening toward mayhem? What if seven toilet water disasters are being put into my bowl? What if a whaling, flailing tantrum is being put into my bowl? Do I trust the scriptures enough to humbly accept everything placed in the bowl of my day and return thanks to the Master who saw fit to put it there? It is a hard thing to trust that whatever I am given will be enough. Fittingly, oryoki means just that. The literal translation of oryoki is "just enough."

To begin each day with an empty bowl also means I need to end with an empty one. I once had an interesting conversation with someone about death. (Okay, my life is way less random than it sounds. Bear with me) They talked about going into the next world empty handed. "It's true" he said "that you can't take it with you. All our stuff stays here. But I hope I go back really empty handed. I would hate to get to heaven and find my pockets full of kind word I never said, compliments I never got around to paying, good deeds I meant to do but never did ... I want to use it all up."

Wow, this blog is getting very philosophical. I guess it's okay though. As Moonface says to Billy in "Anything Goes" (a terrific musical) "You know your problem, Billy? You ain't got no philosophy." Well I apparently have nothing but philosophy. I will stop short of singing you Moonface's "bluebird" song, although you have to hand it to a guy who can put his entire life philosophy in two verses and a choreographed chorus. Too bad he doesn't have a blog. Tra la, tra la, tra la.