December 25, 2005
A dear friend of mine, Pierre Sernet, who’s a French artist as well as a real estate broker by profession, last summer married a charming young lady, Keiko from Kyoto, Japan.
For the past few years, Pierre’s artistic endeavor has inspired him to build a portable teahouse, which is in the form of a cube. Twelve wooden poles with detachable metal hinges make it possible to travel with it around the world to provide a“service”for whoever is open to this experience and desires to sit and have a bowl of tea with him.
He was once again invited by FELLISIMO Gallery on 56th Street to present his works. I arrived early at the opening show, at 5:30 PM, where he had very few people wandering about. Pierre was relaxed with Keiko at his side, as an assistant serving tea to three Japanese guests. Pierre invited me for tea with another two guests. I sat inside the tea house and gazed at his tea procedure as well as his tea’s photoworks on the walls: images of Fuji Mountain; of a countryside mama backpacking a baby in Japan; an Indian man in turban with his calming camel beside him in India; Qui Lin Mountain scenery of a farmer with an impatient cow in China; both man and woman in bikinis on the beach in Brazil, etc.
A great deal of ease, comfort and honorable feelings were presented to me during Pierre’s tea show. Just before I departed, a short conversation between Pierre and a western woman who was festively dressed in a Chinese-style floral embroidered outfit caught my attention. She said to Pierre, “In life, I am open to new experiences and this’s a very nice one. The tea tastes like medicine... But I like it! Thank you!”
October10, 2005
Picking up my favorite Chinese pop music CD for relaxation, I muse that David Tao is one of the most talented Taiwanist songwriters, composers, artists of the 21st century.
I have listened to this particular song more than one thousand times. As a matter of fact, the casual yet profound lyrics that have been on and off my mind, now gradually, gently, deeply touch me. He soars with his magnetic voice. All I want is to have a relaxed mood, happy feeling when we are together.... real simple one.
I can really connect with this feeling and share it with others in everyday life.
July 31, 2005
Since I am such a chocolate lover, it was another night to discover the chocolate section at Whole Foods Market. Gazing at all the beautiful packaging, I consciously picked up red, white and sandy brown colors to take back home.
Immediately after my usual celestial dinner, I realized each chocolate bar had a love poem inside its wrapper. This reminded me of a movie I saw many years ago, “LE CHOCOLAT”, which was directed by a Polish man who is also a Buddhist practitioner. I still remember vividly hearing those experienced actors, during an interview, talking about the calming and loving energy they encountered during the making of this movie.
The following is one of the poems, which is inside the red wrapper, written by May Riley Smith:
My Life is a Bowl
My life is a bowl which is mine to brim
With loveliness old and new.
So I fill its clay from stem to rim
With you, dear heart,
With you.
My life is a pool which can only hold
One star and a glimpse of blue
But the blue and the little lamp of gold
Are you, dear heart,
Are you.
My life is a homing bird that flies
Through the starry dusk and dew
Home to the heaven of your true eyes,
Home, dear heart,
To you.
May 25, 2005
As my friend Susan said, “spring is the time of rebirth.” So this story is about one of my most jolly and precious experiences to which I will be looking forward once a year.
Right at the beginning of Christopher Street, a narrow alley in a Manhattan historic district, on the south east corner grows a wisteria tree. Over the years the vine has overgrown with branches that spiral over leaning trees, covering almost the entire street with an arch.
Early every spring, with a nostalgic feeling of waiting to meet with a lover I see but once a year, I await the blooming of the wisteria. The spider-like wisteria flowers decorate the whole tree... like a spring Christmas tree! With my warmest enthusiasm, every year I visit the tree at least five to seven times in a day, just a minute’s walk from my apartment. (By the way, someone has commented that my scenic street is like a post card from the good old days...) At the gym the evening before I left for Asia, Dave, a musician, casually commented about this amazing tree with his usual big smile.
Oh, my dearest wisteria ... I am writing to express my loving gratitude to you with your fragrant purple and green dresses that bring me a such a motherly healing power!
May 18, 2005
After my grocery shopping at Whole Foods, while I was inside the subway platform, I realized that a gentle voice behind me was paying a nice compliment regarding my attire - a cream Kimono.
The compliment came from a black gentleman with a baseball cap and grandpapa glasses. From a distance he asked, “Is this Japanese?”. I replied, “Yes...”. “But the material is different. In NYC, I don’t see such attire often. It is such a pleasure”. I walked closer to him and explained that pure silk makes this Japanese kimono’s silhouette fall better. “I am learning something new every day”, he said. “Well, aren’t we all!”, I replied. Then we both got into the train and chatted about how nearly the whole world is in NYC. He started to tell me a story about an eighty-six year old lady from Texas whom he met who insisted that the only one thing that makes our life easy is a positive attitude.
“Here is my stop. You enjoy and have a nice life”. He put him palms together with a beautiful smile and left.
It was such a brief but nurturing connection. For the past few years life has been comfortably ‘light’ for me. So right now I am following up with this string of balance on my evening walking meditation, and saying a big thank you before I go to my spirit dream world tonight!
March 14, 2005
I have been wanting to write this little ordinary story for the past year. I just now sat in front of my computer screen and typed it in word... by... word.
My friend, Emily C, ABC ( American-born Chinese ), divorced, single mother, both lives and works in NYC as a painter.
Very often her paintings are images of circles. As a matter of fact, they are deeply influenced by Buddhism, with absolutely breathtaking, vibrant color schemes. Emily talked about the feeling of wholeness whenever she completed a painting. Naturally, she collects Asian antiques. One day she had her antiques evaluated by experts and found that they were worth nearly nothing. She said to me, “Richard, I brought them home and love them even more than before.”
Indeed, an exceedingly interesting lesson to digest, understand and learn. I pray innocent kids (we) will learn our lessons joyously faster.
February 21, 2005
The morning’s golden light is beautifully permeating my 1836-built apartment from both my left and right windows. So very ‘high’, right away I have to sing and dance with my new Chinese rap-pop music at the same time.
Intuitively I take out my almost-ten-year-old emerald green wool knitted Giorgio one-button jacket, followed by a five Dynasty Chinese jar (Poetic name : Happy Green Apple) that’s more than one thousand years old yet still showing its intangible qualities. It’s especially stunningly shining on a sunny day like today, displayed atop a 50s American rectangular cabinet of natural maplewood color. Good, perfect and balanced!
As I look out of my left window and see the familiar stretch of house windows on Waverly Place, including a parked van’s windows, all turn completely illuminated, yet softly focused, in two or three different shades of green.
Very often we are attracted to things that cannot be conveyed through words. In my opinion colors are like vibrations that deliver healing messages, but only if we are open heartedly attuned to receiving, listening.
OK! Right now I am going to light a green incense and see what will happen... Guess what?