There is eternal Nirvana, there is eternally shining Light,
But we have to do the meditation that makes us aware of Them;
There is eternal Light, there is Peace and Quiet forever,
But we have to do the meditation that makes Them known to us.
As I said in the Introduction to "How to Grow a Lotus Blossom: Reflections", my life was profoundly changed as a direct result of Rev. Master Jiyu-Kennett's great experience of enlightenment in 1976-'77. In the following pages, I wish to describe some of the ways in which the teachings expressed in How to Grow a Lotus Blossom have been confirmed in my own experience. In this, I will not so much be "reflecting upon" these teachings, as showing how they have been "reflected in" my own experience--my own life. I hope that what I post here will help provide more context for appreciating and understanding the vast wealth of Teaching in How to Grow a Lotus Blossom.
One page of this site will be devoted to several poems that I wrote at key points in my training. At the time each poem was written, it helped me. Maybe someone else will find something helpful in the poems.
I will be posting these "Reflections in a Disciple's Life" in parallel with the essays in "How to Grow a Lotus Blossom: Reflections". As with those essays, I reserve the right to make changes to any part of this document at any time. The reader is free to copy, share, and print any material published on this website.
In writing about my own life and experience in the following pages, I am deliberately abstracting from almost everything that has happened in my life--and almost everyone who has been important to me. I am deeply grateful for the help I have received from many people throughout my life. In the context of any normal autobiographical work such omission would be inexcusable. But if this narrative has an autobiographical quality, it is also consciously limited in its focus. This limitation is imposed by the purpose of the writing, which is to show as clearly and as simply as possible the "reflections" of the teachings of How to Grow a Lotus Blossom in an individual human life. I apologize to those who I would not, under any other circumstances, fail to mention with respect, love and gratitude.
Rev. Koshin Schomberg
North Cascades Buddhist Priory
December 31, 2014
Click here to return to Table of Contents of Book One: How to Grow a Lotus Blossom: Reflections
Click here to go to How to Grow a Lotus Blossom: Reflections--Poems