COMMUNITY
Although it is too soon for the robins to nest, flocks of them have
been arriving for weeks. Their calls and the sound of dripping water
floats through open windows of the zendo. Old snow gives way to
stretches of deep, sticky mud. Yesterday a crew of residents went
down to the river to clear out the non-native elms that grab too much
water from the cottonwoods. But in spite of some warming, winter still
holds fast, especially at night when mud and water freeze back into
rock-hard ground and slick ice, Careful!
Since the daily schedule has returned to the normal round of
meditation-work-eat-sleep, residents have had time to spend an hour
practicing ritual, in this case the gassho, the bow of respect we use
so frequently. Fingers are pressed together and the hands are held
fist distance from the face and just opposite the nose. The arms are
held horizontally with elbows out, and feet are together, or fist
– Zen
