Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘In the mid-1990s, Shifu’s intensive retreats were held in the Chan Meditation Center with enough space for only thirty participants. It was very difficult to get accepted to a retreat. I was so happy, after one failed attempt, to finally have the opportunity to attend a seven-day intensive retreat even though that involved flying across the country all by myself. In that retreat, like the next few, I was mostly dealing with drowsiness from jetlag and a drastically different daily schedule than my usual night owl life. When it was my turn for an interview with Shifu, I didn’t really have any questions for him. For some reason, I would just start crying as soon as I sat in front of him and could not stop. I remember feeling, “Thank goodness, I finally found you again!” Recalling this now still tears me up. It was as if I was with him a long time ago and got separated, like a child who got separated from her parents in a crowded market, and the joy I felt was like being reunited with my loved ones. At the end of my first retreat we had a sharing. Because my Mandarin was not good, I shared my experience in English. After I finished, Shifu looked me in the eyes and said, “You are going to help a lot of people.” It was a vivid memory because I was puzzled. I did not say anything extraordinary. I was barely able to stay awake during my meditation. “How on earth am I supposed to help a lot of people?” I thought to myself. Perhaps that comment helped put me on my path as I would use that to remind myself to make myself useful for others as I engage in the practice.’ (from the Western Chan Fellowship website)

Rebecca is one of the wonderful teachers in the Gen X teachers’ group, and of course she is being very modest here.