Here we have some panoramic vision, which is just confirmation that we trust what we are doing. But like our friend, doubt sets in. And to test this doubt, this choice between ordinary happy-ness and the command of his heart, he thrust his sword (he was a Christian Knight, you know) into the earth.
A test. He must have been greatly surprised to feel his sword so completely stuck in the rocky soil of Toscano. Unable to pull it out, he probably smiled and uttered something like "naruhodo." Japanese naruhodo= "Hmmm, I thought so, Just as I thought, Ah so, I got it." Horse and rider looking at each other. Wisdom mind looking at wisdom mind. There is no escape. All this is the story of Senor Galgano Guidotti, 1148-1181. So really a very young guy. At this place of personal surrender, he built a small hermitage
.
Of course other Knights joined him in his quiet life of personal reflection and contemplation. This place with the sword became his grave-site. And as things expanded, an abbey grew-up about 20 years later.
And probably there were quite a few followers and patrons, because from the ruins, we see an impressive Gothic style abbey in the shape of a Christian cross, with rose window,
side chapels, carved capitals, cloister, and bell tower. Imagine the sound of those bells ringing out the "Angelus" across the Hills and valleys of Toscano 800 years ago. It must have been most inspiring to ordinary grape farmers and olive farmers, the people preparing pasta lunches, the wine makers. Probably Senor Galgano would have been quite happy about all this. Certainly, quite surprised. Afterall, all he did was to just say "NO" to a life of the sword. Anyway, his decision certainly inspired others.....but by 1550 only five monks remained. Then only one. Then 650 years later, the bell tower collapsed, large parts of the roof collapsed. The abbey was abandoned in 1786, only a couple hundred years ago! Today it is not a place of practice. What remains is a touristik attraction. One of the not so well known visited places close to Firenze, but so close to Montechiano with such wonderful wines.
This is not Camelot. Not the sword "Excalibur" nor the cup of the Holy Grail. Not the world of Arthur and Guineviere. Just the story of Senor Galgano, not so different from you and me. Except.... except that he really had the guts to turn away from a world of passion and aggression. To build a hermitage, a practice place for self and others. The sword was struck. And it stuck. He is stuck. The horse is happy. I saw the endless fields of grass. There is no cup of the Holy Grail, or maybe there is; maybe we need only to look up at the ceiling and we can see the inside of the cup.
Like looking into the Holy Grail. Few however have eyes to look in this profound way; so few can see this. Like looking into the interior of a beautiful tea bowl. Like looking deeply into your own mind.
A sword placed into Mother Earth, the promise that "I will fight no more forever!" This was the beginning of his spiritual journey. The journey always begins with "the giant NO!" The sword in the stone is still there, I saw it. I heard the sound of the sword in the stone. And now a replica of that sword is in the roji tea-garden of Shotoku-an. Guests passing through the roji see this sword, and they too have a choice. What remains of this story is just so simple: human beings have the choice to follow the horse or to follow the leader, conventional authority. One is easy, the other is more easy. Here on the original alter of San Galgano, unused for the last 225 years, at this place of natural beauty, this place of human beauty, this place of sacred beauty, Ruth and Evi and Hiromi and I offered "A Bowl of Tea for Peace into the Four Directions." With the chawan called "KOSMOS."
Easy to reach from Firenze/Siena/Roma. So close to the wonderful vinyards of MonteChiano. Mass every Sunday at 11:30.