Impermanence
One of my dear friends from Kanzeon Zen Center, Bruce Waldrop, died this week. We both came to Kanzeon about the same time, and he was a senior monk as of last year. Spending time with him was one of the things I looked forward to the most when I visited Kanzeon.
I will miss his friendship, humour, our walks and conversations, his daily yoga classes, vulnerability, deep commitment to a spiritual life, occasional acerbic comments, and most of all his deep humanity... He did everything fully - including exploring any aspect of the human and spiritual life.
Roshi and Sensei would often mention that we should not take our time at the zen center for granted, nor having access to a good teacher. It is so easy to forget the preciousness of what we have (good friends, health, a spiritual teacher and community), and so important to make the most out of it when it is there. To appreciate our lives.