Advice from Monk Be

Woke up this morning to a huge moon sending its light trail over the water in the darkness of dawn. It had lightened a bit by the time it was setting behind the hills of Hakone (above). It meant that there would be a full moon tonight, and it reminded me of some advice I received recently from my friend R in Hue, Vietnam which came from his friend, monk Be. According to her, I will be fine, though she then suggested "Even though the cultures are different, when the moon is full he should burn incenses outside his house and pray."  My friend asked, "Pray for what?"  She said, "His ancestors."

So I went outside tonight, under a moon that was fat and full, and bright enough to throw sharp-edged shadow, and lit some frankincense and sat on the half-finished deck in the cold and just thought for a while about all the people responsible for me being here. It's a daunting task for the imagination.