[Note: This is the second contemplation in Five Pieces
that was initiated in the February 1, 2026 blog post and
to be continued in subsequent posts. This all started
with the witness and sharing of the Venerable Buddhist
Walk for Peace and a friend's reaction.]
As if summoned by seagulls, we come back to the beach
where we can cast of the shoes and our everyday cares
tell time by the tides and live in the moment
Our search for shells an echo of childhood
and the surf's refrain is music remembered
- author unknown
"Buddha means the awakened one."
- Wake up, Jack Kerouac
Inspiration & History :
Did you ever wonder why and how one event, moment, person,
book and on and on can so easily fire all those dormant memory synapses
bringing you back to one specific moment in your personal formation?
This is what the Buddhist Monk Walk for Peace and my friend's daughter's
reaction to witnessing the walk up close and personal and what the
experience did to me.
Within a New Jersey flash I was back at college in 1968.
My new found mentor who saved me by baptizing me into the
world of being an English Major referred me to a Russian literature
course and professor, Prof. Brody. The rationale was since I liked the book "Siddartha"
by Hermann Hesse and works by recently discovered Jack Kerouac
as well as Transcendentalist American writers Ralph Waldo Emerson
and Henry David Thoreau. I would like this Prof. Brody. I didn't \comprehend
the logic but was still learning and remain so today.
Brody's current class featured studying the works of Leo Tolstoy.
I read much by Tolstoy slowly becoming aware of how his works
became an inspiration for Mahatma Ghandi and how Ghandhi's
works and life inspired Martin Luther King.
But it was the fact how Tolstoy was inspired by my recent fav's,
Thoreau and Emerson that intrigued me. To be honest my only real
familiarity with Transcendentalism was founded in the Beatles meeting
with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi,an advocate of Transcendental Meditation.
Beatle Goerge Harrison , my co-birthdate favorite,would
soon become an acolyte of eastern spirituality. I discovered how
Emerson and Thoreau were students of the Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads,
Tsao Tse Ching , Buddha , Krisna and on and on.
Inspired by the discovery I wrote a paper of the unique connection, the spiritual
synchronicity Eastern Spirituality -> Emerson/Thoreau ->Tolstoy -.
Gandhi -> MLK and of course a mention or two of the Beatles and the
current peace - anti- war movement in the '60's. Professor Brody was impressed
and suggested a potential rework to make it a scholar essay for possible publication.
I thanked him but did nothing further in terms of writing about this connection.
The recent Buddhist Monk Walk and that college baptism
almost 60 years ago - a mystical interconnectedness ,
... of my own Odyssey . A few pieces of the my own
puzzle begin to fall into place of my own quest.
.... To Be Continued
The Writing:
The Ballad of the Prodigal Pilgrim
A sudden snow squall blows, hiding the grit and
grime from sight.
Mystical words flow through pen to page,
filling flawed pages.
A lost soul reminds skeptical weathermen
that even grace is
ever-present, especially on bitter cold mornings.
Time is no time.
There is no thin red line, no gray area,
no safe harbor.
There is what was, what is, and what may be.
Yesterdays map the course
of what was.
Winds and waves carry sailors to where
and when they’re supposed to be.
The one who wakes just is.
No explanation necessary.
What is it that fuels a recollection, causing
proverbial passengers to become unstuck in time—
to that one oft-forgotten shining moment,
an incident once thought an insignificant
piece of one’s puzzle?
How did this wrinkle in time occur?
How does this piece contribute to the big picture?
Prodigal pilgrims get lost when they believe they know.
A voice in the wilderness echoes from that deep cavern within,
that it doesn’t matter if one knows where one is headed,
for the true quest is letting rivers flow
and tides roll where they will.
Geologists and delighted children
chasing every broken wave may or
may not appreciate the true history of
smooth, rounded beach gems.
Once large, rugged, broken chunks,
these soon-to-be gems were caught in
a landslide,
crashing into rambling rivers
that tumbled the random pieces,
bouncing them toward the welcoming sea.
Rough-edged stones roll,
rubbing the seabed and each other,
slowly being smoothed and polished.
Each has a story of its journey…
a beginning, an end, and a new
beginning.
The synchronicity of Divine Grandeur
suggests
that these pieces of stone may not
look back,
for all that happened contributing to
their becoming complete.
This place and time is where waves,
sandpipers, gulls, and pilgrims
admire these beached jewels,
as all are interdependent wayfaring strangers
on their their own journey.
- JF Sobecki
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Music and Poetry ( for your listening pleasure
and contemplation) - Some songs and poetry
This is a complete YouTube Playlist of songs and poetry .
You can listen to one or more at one sitting without clicking
on each entry...or all in one sitting.
Second Chance Dance Playlist Songs and Poetry
March 1, 2026 -
For your listening pleasure and contemplation:
Click the link below
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB8FrnVEQMJCo9LO2fLzUn9Xntq25_MJP&si=jXRsn78Y7MxJ1tZZ
Coda:
Whether you "believe" or not...this might be interesting:
* Research indicates that even with significant differences
the major religions and spiritual practices around the world
they share the following common perspectives and themes:
- Compassion and love - how we treat others
- promote human welfare and reduce suffering
- Practice loving kindness all ways
- All life ( existence) is connected.
- A good life is measured by your kindness to others
- Seek truth, wisdom and understanding
- Be grateful , present and aware of each moment
- There is a higher purpose in life than materialism
- Service to and care of others, be selfless ( especially those
who cannot help themselves)
Some music to take a moment for reflection...if you desire.
May peace be with you and yours all ways
Yo Yo Ma - Appalachian Waltz
https://youtu.be/-yxi1n8nD14?si=K4Fx1kPtfv57EkQ6
"One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple."
- 2 Maccabees 15:38-39
AMDG
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