The past week has been a constant flow of unusual occurrences and many blessings. On Thursday I ran 7 miles, which is the longest run Francis has experienced, the second longest run being 4 miles earlier in the summer. My legs that night were sore and my right knee stiff. I was expecting to rest for the next few days, however, the next day, Friday, I woke early and decided to walk to the Jewel Tree at the Pier and after making the offering I experienced what could be called a physical miracle, my legs became un-sore and my knee un-stiff, so I decided to run and offer that experience to the Jewel Tree. I ran to the track, did the usual sprints and muscle exercises, and was thrilled to have done so. That night my legs became sore again and my knee stiff. I decided I needed to rest the next day, Saturday, but I woke early and once again walked to the Jewel Tree at the Pier. After making the offering my legs once again experienced a miracle and felt normal with no soreness or stiffness, so I ran to the track for sprints and muscle exercises. Yesterday, Sunday, was the same story, wake early, walk to Jewel Tree, make offering, experience physical miracle, run to track for sprints and muscle exercises.
Today was the same again, with an added miracle, while walking along to the Jewel Tree I found fresh flowers at my feet three times, each time picking up the flowers and placing them into the offering bag. When I arrived at the tree and made the rice and flower offering I was startled to see that it resembled an offering from the Pink Angel, on a smaller scale, of course, and this cheered me because I have not crossed paths with an offering from the Pink Angel in over a week. I then ran to the track for the usual workout.
Each day when I return home my legs become sore again, but each day the legs are less sore than the day before, so now as I sit at home my legs feel as if they are slowly recovering from the 7 mile run, all the while I am running everyday and this makes me joyful and calm.
I should mention that last week I began reading a new dharma book on Pure Land, and this book inspired me to begin practicing chanting meditation, using the name Amitabha Buddha. In my younger years I shunned chanting because I felt it best to keep my mind clean of all language, so Zen meditation was a good fit for my young mind. Now that I am old my mind is no longer able to achieve deep calmness during silent meditation, so it seems the right time to begin chanting (silent) meditation. I find it quite easy and pleasant to do while walking and running, and since I started chanting the name Amitabha Buddha unusually positive things have occurred, both in the physical and mind realm. I mentioned some of the physical things above, but my mind has experienced something quite beautiful and liberating, the "sensation" that what I am experiencing is indeed there, and at the same time, not there. It is the old common story with such experiences, an ordinary human cannot find the words to accurately describe the situation, and thus, all I can say is that the psychic experience which has flooded my mind this week is an example of another miracle.
