In Zen and Buddhist traditions, for over 2500 years there has been the way of the wandering monk. This wandering way of life has been practiced as a way of simplicity and meditation, the walking of a path of living in contrast to the world. The monk would carry with him only his most basic needs, his robes, bowls, toiletries, medicine and water filter. The wandering Zen monks of Japan wold immerse in the solitude of nature and craft poems and calligraphy.
My favorite has always been Ryokan, who was known as a rebellious monk, poet and calligrapher. He walked away from the Zen priesthood to wander, write poems and be rebellious. He wrote the following words from his simple hut…
At an overgrown cottage I found the restful life of a recluse. I have lived alone, turning to songbirds for music, and for my friends I have white clouds rising from the sky
His words could be my own after six months of living alone on top of a mountain, learning the songs of the birds that come to my porch every day, and watching the clouds rise across the mountains as the rainy season unfolds.
This week I find myself once again on the road. Packing up my handful of worldly possessions and putting them back in my bag. Such is the life of a nomad, this journey I have somehow found myself on, this path of the soul. Another season has passed…two in fact. These past six months I have enjoyed a life of quiet and solitude amidst nature living on top of a mountain during the dry season in Boquete, Panama. It has been a time for writing, time in nature, processing my own coffee and learning to live simply.
Life seems to be a continual reminder that everything falls away and nothing remains the same. Each day is an opportunity and an invitation to begin again. My visa in Panama has provided a home for six months, a generous visa compared to most. So in just a few days I will be on a Tica bus traveling over potholed dirt roads through the jungle back to beautiful Costa Rica. I am looking forward to those food stops with empanadas and candy in remote towns along the route.
One of the richest rewards of traveling over the years has been the lifelong friends who have found their way to me in various places around the world. Like my friend in Norway whom I met at age 18 and still correspond with regularly, or the beautiful couple in S.Korea who made me part of their family after my very first day in Seoul, and my friends and teachers who will always be waiting in Kyoto, Japan. It is truly a gift to be welcomed back by good friends as I make my way back to Costa Rica, a place I have always loved, for the months of May and June.
Living life out of the contents of one bag is quite freeing, but it is freeing in the same way a bungee jump is freeing. One is fully alive, yet also experiencing the exhilaration and uncertainty of life to the fullest extent. Just being. One can be prepared to move from a place one has been at home for six months within just a couple of hours, leaving no trace behind and leaving things every bit as beautiful and untouched as when you first arrived. It is life’s reminder every season or two that one must hold to everything lightly, people, places and circumstances. It is the rhythm of nature and the essence of life.
Everything eventually passes, just like the clouds.
In these times of transition I alway come back to the reminder of the path of the Traveler. It has so many rich rewards but it is definitely not for the faint of heart. My external journey of travels has always mirrored my internal journey of seeking a home. It is travel that has taught me that this home will never be found in a place or location outside of myself, but only in the home I create within myself as I move through the world. Each one of us are all just passing through for a brief chapter of time. This is the path of the soul.
This week I have said temporary goodbyes to friends, fellow travelers each on their own journeys. It seems to be this path of the traveler that has brought us together for a moment in time and connected us. As I leave this season in Boquete, the rainy season has already begun. Every afternoon, hours upon hours of heavy rain beat down on my metal roof. I will do well to find my way back to the ocean, from the tranquil energy of the mountains to the quiet whisper of the waves.
Costa Rica is once again calling, as it always has, Each chapter has new lessons to teach, new people to meet.
Perhaps Ryokan said it best……
if someone asks my home
I reply
the east edge
of the Milky Way
A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent upon arriving. A good artist lets his intuition lead him wherever it wants. -Tao Te Ching
Zen and Ink Journals represents hundreds of hours of writing over the past decade, sometimes from a train in remote China or a coffee shop in Kyoto, a hammock in Costa Rica or a simple cabin on a mountain in Boquete, Panama.
Zen and Ink Journals is a simple offering of words in the hope of inspiring others to a simpler, more mindful way of life in these chaotic times. I invite you join me each month on the journey for a glimpse of the larger world, reflections on living more simply and quietly amidst the chaos of our modern world.
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Zen and Ink was born over a decade ago out of my own personal journey to find peace and tranquility amidst the ever-increasing chaos of our modern world. In the last ten years, the pace of our modern world has only accelerated and we have moved further out of sync with nature and the rhythm of our souls. Zen and Ink offers a quiet space for anyone along their journey seeking more balance and Zen in their daily lives.
Zen and Ink provides an oasis for those who are drawn to a slower and simpler way of life; to provide a portal for awakening, tools and resources that many will find useful in their own quest to find the Zen which is already there and always within and around each of us.
I love how you live this way. I just wonder how you do it! The thought of just being quiet in an empty room is very appealing and not something I have done much in my life. It’s difficult with 4 children but nevertheless I am carving out my space out from inside the busy life. I’ve reduced my own personal possessions and clothes to a much smaller amount that would fit into my 32litre backpack. This gives me a sense of calm.