Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

I confess that when I scheduled the Suzuki Roshi post for yesterday, I had not twigged that it was the fourth of December, the anniversary of his death. I did remember in time to post on Instagram (should you have a need to see that). In my Within class, I spoke about it, and also how this Rohatsu week, celebrating Buddha’s Enlightenment, is really the peak time for zen folk – though I also confess that I am not sitting extra to commemorate.

I officiate up to a dozen weddings a year, and most of the time I don’t get to see any photographs of the event. So it was especially sweet on Tuesday to have two wedding photographers share their galleries with me. The first was from September, and the second was from Tuesday morning. 

I had been asked to preside over a ceremony at City Hall starting at nine am, which meant I was still able to lead my weekly meditation at eight and ride over to City Hall with plenty of time to change into my robes and head up to the gorgeous fourth floor balcony.

It was a small and sweet event, with all the emotions of the occasion; when it was done I changed back into my regular clothes and headed over to the East Bay for the rest of my work day.

I was certainly glad that the weather has been fine  – a rainy day would have made that combination much harder. It doesn’t matter how many years I have lived in California, having bright sunny days in December where the temperature reaches sixty degrees is never going to get old. It more than makes up for the periods of fog and chilly ocean winds, and makes enduring winter rains worthwhile.

There have been many times when I have taken the streetcar from the sunny eastern half of the city to emerge at West Portal into thick fog, so it was lovely to have conditions closer to the ocean be so balmy for Sunday’s roam.