Some Words About the Weather

Rain is falling here and there. Here, a late summer shower. There, a devastating Hurricane. Before zazen I reach towards the bookshelf and pick up my copy of The Roaring Stream: A New Zen Reader. I flip to a random page and my attention falls on this appropriate slogan. A haiku of sorts, written by 14th century Rinzai master Daitō, it reads:

No umbrella, getting soaked,
I'll just use the rain as my raincoat.

Over the summer I struggled with an expensive umbrella that my parents-in-law had given me for Christmas. At first, the umbrella seemed sturdy enough, taking the worst of the Iowa City winds and rain. Then, while in India, it didn't last three days in the monsoon before it became a twisted wreck.

Now, I have no umbrella and no raincoat. So...I'll just use the rain as my raincoat.

I wonder if the wisdom of this passage would find me if my home was destroyed by a storm named Ike?

By Dustin Eaton  |  September 12, 2008; 1:46 PM ET  | Category:  Aum Iowa
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