Daily Excerpt: Blue Sky Mind (Diedrichs) - Foreword

 



Excerpt from Living in Blue Sky Mind (Diedrichs) -

Foreword

Richard Gentei Diedrichs, or Gentei Sensei, as he is respectfully and affectionately called by the members of the Daifukuji Family Sangha, draws from the well of his childhood experiences and from wisdom gleaned as an elementary school teacher and practitioner of Zen to bring the sweet water of the Buddha’s teachings to people of all ages. He is honest and compassionate, a sincere human being and teacher of the Dharma whom we can trust. He tells us that it is possible for ordinary people, even as children, to awaken and realize their Buddha Nature through practice.

Living in Blue Sky Mind is a refreshingly clear presentation of the Dharma, which can be understood by children and appreciated by adults. Gentei Sensei’s vivid childhood recollections strike a chord in our own memories, a painful chord at times but one that reassures us that our mistakes and painful experiences can be opportunities for spiritual growth. The questions that Gentei Sensei poses at the end of each chapter help us to pause, reflect, and digest each teaching before moving on to the next one. We are given the opportunity to relate the Buddha’s teachings to our own lives and experiences. We are given the opportunity to look into ourselves with kindness and friendliness.

At our Family Sangha gatherings, when Gentei Sensei moves to the center of the meditation room and sits upon his cushion to give a Dharma lesson, the little children immediately leave their parents’ sides and snuggle up close to him, their eyes twinkling. They listen attentively without knowing that Dharma seeds are being sown in their hearts and minds at a tender age, seeds which will someday sprout and blossom. Could it be that they will grow up and remember, as Siddhartha Gautama remembered as an adult seeker of the truth how peaceful he felt sitting in the shade of a rose-apple tree as a child, the teachings of the Buddha that they heard when they were young?

I am truly grateful to Gentei Sensei for not only dedicating this season of his life to sharing the teachings of the Buddha with children but also for creating materials which can be used by parents and teachers alike. May Living in Blue Sky Mind be a resource for mindful and compassionate living. May all beings be happy and filled with aloha.

In gassho,
Jiko Nakade, Resident Minister
Daifukuji Soto Zen Buddhist Temple, Kona, Hawai’i

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