It is just a simple story; "KOSMOS" goes to the highlands above Lhasa, to a place of great natural beauty. Earth is the fields of barley. Water is the Lake Yamdrok. Fire is the spirit of these people living on top of the world. Wind is Lungta flags of Wind Horse, fluttering and sending out messages of well-being to all creatures in the four directions. Space is just the incredible space of these high mountain places.
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Here Ms.Yamamoto wrote something with her fingers into the soil of Tibet: the Japanese kanji for 和 Wa or Peace. Harmony.
This was the first Kanji in the constitution of Shotoku Taishi in 604, and also the first Kanji in the name of his Kingdom at that time: WA-no-KUNI or "The Kingdom of Harmony." In the tea-room Wa is also the first of the four points of why we study Chado, how to study properly: Wa-Kei-Sei-Jaku or Harmony-Respect-Purity-Tranquility.
Her flower arrangement was the wild flowers of those high places. And her offering was "A Bowl of Tea for Peace into the Four Directions."
Later she went back down into the town, had a bowl of noodles, and in the noodle shop she made tea for the local Tibet people.
People did not want her to take pictures, because they live in fear of the Chinese overlords. Ms.Yamamoto spoke of the society of fear that she saw: thousands of surveillance cameras on all the streets, marching soldiers demonstrating who has the power, everywhere the propaganda posters. Ah, but she mostly spoke of the smiles and cheerful faces of the Tibet people, now only about 30% of the population. Their complete confidence in the Bodhi-sattva of compassion.
I wish I could show you the picture of one smiling guy drinking a bowl of tea from "KOSMOS." Maybe someday, Ms.Yamamoto will send this picture to me. My great appreciation to Ms.Yamamoto and her husband. They carried "KOSMOS" to these high places of the Land of Snow. The land where my teacher was born, where he studied and practiced, and where he was forced to leave in 1959. Meeting him makes me one of the most fortunate people of the last century. Studying with him makes my debt to humanity enormous. May I always live the life of "A Warrior in the World," and show this to all people. May the new baby of Ms.Yamamoto grow-up in a world free from fear; may all the children of his generation follow in the footsteps of these people with Brave Heart. Let's always think about the next ten generations.
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Touch and Go http://www.chroniclesproject.com/TouchandGo/index.html
