Taken from RECOLLECTIONS: i have arrived - i am home by Michael Orange:
Pre-dawn dew soaked through my sandals as I took the more direct route from the campground to the meditation hall across a wide field of grass. A playful déjà vu sensation enveloped me as I recalled cutting across yards as a child in contrast to my adult habit of staying on sidewalks. The low croak of frogs and the songs from birds and crickets welcomed me. As I neared a tree line, the glorious chorus of mating songs from cicadas looking for love after their seventeen-year sojourn underground reminded me of my longtime love of their calls and amazement of their life cycle. Funny how my Vietnam experiences resulted in a constant ringing in both ears that most resembles a cicada's song.
Sister Chan Khong, a Vietnamese Buddhist nun, at a Buddhist retreat in 2003.... Read More