Well, I finally got the message through to Tika, and the breaks are on pretty good.

I also got in some quality time with Anne, which both of us desperately need. The result was a reflection upon the truth gained in solving the koan of "the sound of one hand clapping". I'm uploading that little gem now. In the mean time I'll post the song story hear, since I never did document this particular experiance. The song itself is bound to be longer at some point, but for now i think this will suffice nicely.

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While in Japan last year, I saw Steve Vai, performing "Fire Strings" - The remainder of my trip was spent at a Zen temple in the Tokyo area. I didn't understand a word of what was said, and could barely manage to fit in.

As I sat in zazen while trying my best to understand the koan I chose to penetrate, one of the monks there, an american, not much older than myself saw me. I know now what it was he saw in me, and why his words now were so apt to the circumstances. While I have always had difficulty just doing zazen with out a koan, I had exceptional difficulty trying to maintain my will power in full lotus posture, and at that point he came to me. At the time there was one Sakura tree which still had a few blossoms on it, and for those of you unfamiliar with Japan, a "Sakura" tree is a cherry tree, more or less.

"The object isn't to think good friend, only to understand why this is so..." - I never did catch his name, and that's all he said to me. As he bowed and went on his way, I saw an entire sakura blossom fall, one of the last ones on the tree infact, and as it fell I was staring straight up at the moon repeating his words in my head.

I remember vividly thinking "how do you not think... and understand why what is so? What are you talking about - I don't get it". I gave it another day, and gave up. I spent the rest of my trip, the last day, wandering around Tokyo and Narita, seeing what there was to see. They wouldn't allow my camera at the Zen temple, but the Buddhist shrine in Narita had no problem with it, so I spent most of the evening there, photographing everything.

When I got home, the monks words were still echoing in my ears. Somewhat those words had nearly faded out entirely. This week though, I finally solved that Koan. For those of you who are wondering what koan it was - you may be supprised when you find that you've already heard of it.

"What is the sound of one hand clapping?"

Well - I know the answer now, and suddenly the monks meaning is appearent to me, and the memory of that falling blossom through the body of the moon on that star lit night will be a memory I recite for many years to come as I venture onward in my quest to attain a profound realization of the supreme vehicle.

While I have no such lofty goal as to completely attain kensho tomorrow, or deepen my satori awakening as each day passes on, I did feel compelled to document it in some fashion.

So today, good friends, a small clip of something I've decided to add into the Awakening albumn, in all it's rough, pre-post-production glory is now here for you listen to as you journey through my mind.

Remember good friends, truth, not unlike the sakura blossom, blooms when it is time. The only way you will know the truth is if you are there when the truth is manifest - and of course, the right lighting helps...