15th January

(Sorry about yesterday. Connection problems. Egypt!)

Master Ikkyu advised that before intellectual study of
Buddhist texts, and endless chanting of the sutras, a student
of Zen should learn how to read the love letters sent by the
snow, the wind, and the rain.

The philosophy of Zen, as in other mystical systems, recognizes that all of nature carries as a pattern divine principle. By observing nature as it manifests around us we can become attuned to the rhythm of creation. The nature of the patterns which create nature as we understand it, are the very patterns on which consciousness, and our consciousness is built. To merge with nature is to merge with our Self.