Plum Village France. Healing Spring Monastery. Magnolia Grove Monastery. Blue Cliff Monastery. Deer Park Monastery. Thai Plum Village. Stream Entering Monastery. Mountain Spring Monastery. The night before, after chanting practice, I saw my teacher sitting in his room on a cushion beside the light of a flickering candle; there was a stack of old scriptures piled high on a table next to him.
He was carefully mending a tear in an old brown robe. Despite his old age, he still had clear vision and a straight posture. Brother Man and I stopped at the entrance and watched. As he slowly pulled the needle through the cloth, my teacher looked like a bodhisattva in deep meditation. After a moment we entered the room and my teacher looked up.
Seeing us, he nodded and then lowered his head to continue sewing a half-sewn stitch. My teacher did not look up. Then I understood why my teacher had been sorting through his pile of old robes all afternoon; he was looking for the least worn robe to fix and make presentable for me.
Tomorrow for the first time I would wear a brown robe. During the past three years as aspirant we were only allowed to wear the gray robe. Once ordained as a novice, I would be allowed to put on the precious robe that the sutras call the robe of liberation, the uniform of freedom.
With our arms folded in an obedient manner, we stood to one side not daring to say another word. A little later, without raising his eyes from the needle, my teacher spoke.
