June 3

It is amazing what a diet of insects and worms will produce. The menu at Bhavana Society is vegetarian for the humans, but the robins are free to choose what they eat.

We have been closely watching the robin chicks. It is amazing to see how fast they are growing. Every day the change is tangible. Two days ago it appeared the chicks almost doubled their size overnight. Yesterday their feathers had all matured and the nest was looking crowded. This morning the cruelty of the world was made manifest by the absence of one of the chicks.

The two remaining chicks seemed to understand that having one less mouth meant more food. They now seem to be trying to push each other out of the nest. These chicks are acting frighteningly similar to human beings.

Yesterday a retreat started here at the center. It is a woman’s retreat with Susan Stone and Sister Sobhana leading. It appears that about twenty women are in attendance. Since it is a woman’s retreat the male community is not using the meditation hall, which means we are allowed to continue our practice at our cabins.

Last night I started reading a book called Mississippi Odyssey by Chris Markham. The author hitchhikes down the Mississippi River on tugboats and other watercraft. I probably shouldn’t be reading this book as I’m starting to get the wanderlust again. The idea of traveling right now, even getting to Thunder Bay, Ontario, doesn’t sound appealing to me. But, next spring maybe . . .


June 3rd update

Maybe the first robin chick is okay. The other two chicks flew the coop this morning as well. The parents will still need to feed the chicks for a while. This is a dangerous time for them as they are not able to fly and it will be more difficult for the parents to locate the chicks to feed them.

I also discovered why the forest is free of vegetation from about two feet to five feet from the forest floor. The deer eat all the leaves from the trees as they are growing. I spotted a deer eating a fresh shout from the side of a medium sized tree and had that realization. Learning from observation is a lot of how the monastic training works.

Often the rules are taught in a class, but if somebody really wants to practice the rules, it takes an ability to observe. That is one reason why it is good to associate with people who are supportive of the practice and who are willing to train. It is also wise to practice with those who have been training under the rules a lot longer than you, so you can learn from observation.