The Ninja and the Zen Monk

 
It's never a good thing when your clan's Sōtō Zen monk walks into the castle in the morning, and as he passes by you doing your kata in the courtyard, he says, "I have many parables to tell you." This is Zen monk-speak for: "Your recent actions have not been in accord with the Way. You are off your center, and you will have much work to do to in order to regain the clarity and harmony of your path."

This is not a surprise to me. I knew, as I was performing some of my recent tasks, that my ki was blocked by being in a rush. But there was not time to fix it, and I knew that it would have to be made right later.

Soon I will have to sit zazen with Binya and meditate on these parables. But not yet. Right now, there is still work to be done in Fujiwara-kyō.