The North Coast times-eagle., August 01, 1990, Page 8, Image 8

PAGE 8
THE
ROAD TO
MANDALA
H is t e a c h e r s a i d h e s h o u l d d ie in N o r t h A m e r i c a . N o r t h A m e r i c a w a s
w a s a m a n d a l a . H e h a d s p e n t h i s l if e in J a p a n . H e h a d b e e n a n u c l e a r
e n g i n e e r b e f o r e h e to o k th e v o w s o f a B u d d h i s t m o n k . H is l i f e w a s d e v o te d
to p e a c e a n d a b e l i e f t h a t a n e w a g e w a s a p p r o a c h i n g , p r e c e d e d b y a t i m e
o f d i s a s t e r t h a t w o u ld c l e a n a w a y th e r o t of th e o l d . T h e U n ite d S t a t e s w a s
p a r t i c u l a r l y i m p o r t a n t to th e f u t u r e , h i s t e a c h e r h a d s a i d . T h e s h a d o w s
t h a t w o u ld c r o s s th e E a r t h b e f o r e th e b r i g h t n e s s w o u ld d a r k e n t h e U n ite d
S ta te s f i r s t . P r o p h e c ie s w e re n o t g u a r a n te e s b u t p a r a d o x e s , h is te a c h e r
w a r n e d . O n ly th e h a r d w o r k a n d s a c r i f i c e o f m e n a n d w o m e n w h o c h e r i s h e d
p e a c e a n d h a r m o n y w o u ld l i g h t th e d a r k n e s s . A n y th in g l e s s a n d th e E a r t h
w o u ld s o o n be a s d e a d a s i t s m o o n . H e m u s t b e l i k e a c a n d l e , h i s t e a c h e r
u rg e d . T h e re w as no o th e r p u rp o se fo r a p r ie s t.
R O B E R T J O R D A N ( A F T E R Y O S H IT O S H I, C . 1 8 9 0 )
H is n a m e w a s S u z u k i K a t s u m i . T h e y e a r
b e f o r e h e b e c a m e a m o n k h e h a d h e l p e d b u ild
a p e a c e p a g o d a in C e y lo n , th e t r o u b l e d i s l a n d
n a t i o n o f S r i L a n k a . H e l e f t J a p a n f o r N o r th
A m e r i c a w ith s i x o t h e r m o n k s a n d a r r i v e d
t h e d a y h i s y o u n g e s t u n c le w a s k i l l e d d u r i n g
W o r ld W a r II a t t e m p t i n g t o c r a s h h i s a i r p l a n e
i n to a n A m e r i c a n w a r s h i p . F o r t h r e e m o n th s
h e w a l k e d a c r o s s t h e c o n t i n e n t w ith A m e r i c a n
I n d ia n s w h o s o u g h t r e d r e s s f o r b r o k e n p r o m i s e s
a n d f o r e s a k e n t r e a t i e s . H e l i v e d in C a n a d a f o r
a y e a r a n d s p e n t a w i n t e r in a c a b i n o n a P u g e t
S o u n d is la n d . A fte r n o n v io le n t p r o t e s t a g a in s t
c o n s tr u c tio n an d o p e ra tio n of a n u c le a r s u b ­
m a r in e b a s e n e a r S e a ttle he h itc h h ik e d dow n
th e O r e g o n c o a s t t o w a r d C a l i f o r n i a , w h e r e h e
w a s to j o i n th e I n d ia n s o n c e m o r e , t h i s t i m e
in a n e f f o r t to h a l t th e s i t i n g o f n u c l e a r p o w e r
p l a n t s o n t r e a t y l a n d s a n d to p r e v e n t th e r a v a g ­
in g o f th e B l a c k H i l l s f o r u r a n i u m .
He w o r e h i s m o n k 's r o b e s w h e r e v e r h e w e n t,
e v e n s t a n d i n g a l o n g s i d e a r o a d . H is v e s t m e n t s
w e r e s t a r t l i n g : o v e r a g o w n w h ite a s b o n e w a s
a r o b e m o r e o r a n g e th a n a s u n s e t . A t h is s a n ­
d a le d f e e t w as a s m a ll B oy S c o u t h a v e r s a c k
t h a t w a s f i l l e d w ith r i c e w r a p p e d in c e l l o p h a n e
p la s tic , f r e s h ta b i s o c k s , a to o th b ru s h and a
h a lf - f i ll e d p o u c h of c i g a r e t t e to b a c c o he fo u n d
o n t h e r o a d w a y . H e d id n o t r a i s e h i s t h u m b a t
p a s s i n g c a r s , o n ly h i s e y e s w h ile h e p a t i e n t l y
b e a t on a s m a l l d r u m a n d c h a n te d .
H e s t a y e d t h r e e d a y s a t a n o ld m o t e l n e a r
A rc h C a p e a s a g u e s t of its o w n e r . S e v e r a l
tim e s a d a y h e w a lk e d a c r o s s a m e a d o w th a t
s l o p e d a b o v e th e b e a c h a n d s a t o n a w o o d b e n c h
s u rro u n d e d by s p ru c e tr e e s and s a la l b u sh e s.
T h e r e , f a c i n g th e o c e a n h e b e a t h i s d r u m a n d
c h a n te d fo r h o u r s . T h e c h a n t w a s h is s in g le
c o n tr ib u tio n , h is w e a p o n a n d h is p r a y e r .
S u z u k i th e M o n k h a r d l y r e s e m b l e d h i s f o r ­
m e r i n c a r n a t i o n , S u z u k i th e N u c l e a r E n g i n e e r .
W hen he s p o k e of h is p a s t i t w a s b r ie f ly an d
o n ly to m a k e a p o in t; th e p o i n t w a s g e n e r a l l y
th a t he h ad c o m e so f a r a ro u n d fro m w h at he
h a d b e e n , s o c o u l d a n y b o d y e l s e . T h e p o in t w a s
th a t he h ad b e e n w ro n g , an d now he f e lt he w as
d o in g w h a t n e e d e d to b e d o n e .
B r i e f l y : th e f o r m e r S u z u k i h a d b e e n in lo v e
w ith m o n e y a n d t e c h n o l o g y . He w a s a m b i t i o u s
a n d i n t e n s e l y c o m p e t i t i v e . H is v i s i o n o f th e
f u t u r e w a s s p e c t a c u l a r l y o p p o s i t e M o n k S u z u k i 's ,
a n d h e c h a n t e d in a m o r e o b s c u r e a n d s p e c i a l ­
iz e d id io m . H e h e lp e d d e s ig n n u c le a r p o w e r
p la n ts an d e n g in e e rin g s y s te m s .
H e w a s n o t s u r e w h e n h e f i r s t n o t i c e d h is
o w n c o r e w a s s u f f e r i n g a m e l t d o w n . H e th o u g h t
h e h a d l o s t h i s s o u l . H e w e n t to I n d ia , th e
a n c i e n t h o ly l a n d w h e r e th e B u d d h a w a s b o r n ,
t o f in d h i m s e l f . H e v i s i t e d t e m p l e s a n d f o ll o w e d
t h e t r a v e l s o f G a u t a m a . He w e n t to C e y lo n to
c lim b a h o ly m o u n ta in an d t h e r e m e t a J a p a n ­
e s e m o n k w h o t o l d h i m t h a t a p a g o d a d e v o te d
to p e a c e w a s b e i n g b u i l t o n t h e m o u n t a i n . H e
t h o u g h t h e w o u ld s t a y a n d h e l p o n ly a f e w d a y s . ;^
H e w a s o n th e m o u n t a i n a y e a r ; a n d a f t e r w a r d
he becam e a m onk.
A lm o s t a y e a r la te r he r e c e iv e d in fo rm a tio n
f r o m th e U n ite d S t a t e s t h a t A m e r i c a n I n d ia n s
w e r e w a lk in g a c r o s s th e c o u n t r y f r o m S a n
F r a n c i s c o t o W a s h i n g t o n , D . C . H is s p i r i t u a l
m a s t e r h a d t o l d h i m m a n y t i m e s t h a t th e
U n i t e d S t a t e s w a s a v i t a l k e y to th e f u t u r e .
P e o p l e s a n d r e l i g i o n s f r o m e v e r y p a r t of th e
w o r l d h a d i m m i g r a t e d to t h e U n ite d S t a t e s .
S u ch d i v e r s it y th ro w n so c lo s e ly to g e th e r
c o u l d e r u p t in e x p l o s i o n o r c o h a b i t a s a m o d e l
o f h a r m o n y . T h a t w a s w h e r e h i s w o r k s h o u ld
b e . D o n o t c o m e b a c k to J a p a n , th e o ld m o n k
t o l d th e y o u n g e r m o n k . D ie in N o r t h A m e r i c a .
B y th e t i m e h e r e a c h e d th e U n ite d S t a t e s th e
I n d ia n s h a d a l r e a d y w a l k e d to I l l i n o i s . T h e r e
h e j o i n e d t h e m , a n d f o r t h r e e m o n th s h e s t a y e d
w ith t h e m , s l e e p i n g in w o o d s a n d p r a i r i e s ,
w a l k in g t w e n t y - f i v e m i l e s e a c h d a y , c h a n t i n g
e a c h m ile .
S i tt in g o n th e w o o d b e n c h o v e r l o o k i n g th e
P a c if ic O c e a n he e x p la in e d th e im p o r ta n c e of
h i s c h a n t . It w a s n o t th e w o r d s s o m u c h a s th e
r e p e t i t i o n , h e s a i d . T h e r e p e t i t i o n e m p t i e d th e
m in d a n d o p e n e d th e s o u l . N a M u m y o Ho R e n
K yo. O v e r a n d o v e r , a n d o v e r a g a in .
" I n n e r h a p p i n e s s " w a s th e r e s u l t o f c h a n t i n g .
" A n d h a p p i n e s s s p r e a d f r o m o n e to m a n y . " T o
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