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On the steep hill behind my house, slightly embedded in the tall woods, lies a tiny cemetery, perhaps no more than thirty graves, standing, living out eternity in death, surrounded by foliage and the incessant noise of insects, which in turn are striving to show their own existence any way they can, something that the graves can never truly do. The other day, I went for a bike ride, through the tiny streets that make up this rural village, through the rice paddies that consume any space that could otherwise be called empty. I am beginning to notice something about this place, and perhaps it is only my mind or perhaps it is no different from any other place, but there appears to be contentment here, everywhere I look. People are not striving for anything, but rather have accepted their station in life and have become completely pacified with the idea of living out their lives in accordance with very basic principles. Make an honest living, provide for a family, raise children according to the same principles, and generally view the world around as very simple, without complication. The greed that is so evident in other places and that I have encountered many a time may be here as well, but it is so well concealed that it almost has become irrelevant. It does not seem to be a driving force behind anything and in fact, if it were ever to show its face, it would probably be looked highly down upon.

As I rode through the paddies toward the hilly forest that borders the village, I noticed a tiny opening in the trees that lead to an archway and behind it, a tiny temple, tucked away neatly between the trees. I parked my bike to have a closer look. There did not seem to be anyone around and the shrine itself was not much to look at, in comparison to other shrines that are in Japan. It was quite old, but at the same time, kept meticulously clean. There was definitely something about it that attracted me and made me want to just sit on its steps for a while and think…about, for instance, the lives of the priests that had, inevitably, inhabited this shrine for quite a number of years. Here they were, seemingly removed from reality, living an isolated life, doing their own “business,” completely unconcerned with that which goes on around them. There is a lot to envy there, in that peace of mind which has severed almost all attachments, which usually, by definition, must bring sorrow as well as joy. And yet, with all those remarkable benefits, something pushed me away, pulled me back toward the lights, the crowds, life as most of us like to call it. Albeit the village I live in is not much in terms of that, but it nevertheless stands at a crossroads, with both paths and their destinations faintly evident. But soon it got dark, the rain picked up, and I had to make my way back to my abode.

Mood is everything. In its depth lies a continuity, but because mood changes so often, it is nearly impossible to grasp. But there are moments, as brief as the time between a hummingbird’s flaps, in which it stares at you and you feel it, literally to the bone. Sometimes, this is associated with goosebumps.

Buckets and buckets of rain, after all, that humidity has to mean something. Rain is quite amazing here because it never really rains continuously for long periods of time. Rather, you have a lot at once, then a period of relative calm, than short bursts of rapid rain, followed by a light drizzle, followed by a steady stream, followed by sunshine, followed by buckets once again, an endless repetition but never in the same way. Sometimes, rain depresses me, but at others, it is a marvelous thing to observe, because after all, it is the nourishment of the earth, our mother, which keeps us alive. Perhaps I will get into haiku, which is all about unity with nature, about relating the pure and uncorrupted all around us to the human experience. No matter what anyone says, or what you see on the news, or what your strongest beliefs are, life’s secret is a beautiful one…

Until it all comes crashing down.
Forgive me, but I had some things to get off my chest, some beautiful feelings to share. The moon is shining tonight, but faintly, through a veil of clouds. I want to know what it is telling us?