The other night I posted my experience of sitting on campus for the first time, a tiny alcove with plants and rocks that were flooded for irrigation so that they looked like a little pond, and how that made a pleasantly neutral gaze point for zazen. (I was facing that spot in order to be turned away from passers-by.)

Today, I took a friend to show him the spot (he was looking for a quiet corner for Christian prayer). I looked down into the "pond" -- the irrigation water had dried, leaving a dull-looking piece of ground. Oooh my ego was so offended; how dare they take away my beautiful mini-pond! The thought flashed through my mind, "I don't want to sit here anymore."

Note to self-that-doesn't-exist: drop LIKES too.

gassho
Julia