Morning Prayers

6 a.m. A knock on the door. The head priest tells us to follow him up a winding maze of halls and stairs. We bow and enter the main hall. Lit by only six candles and two dull lamps, we can see little of the ornate furnishings. We are given small chairs in a corner. Besides the head priest, another priest and a man in a white shirt join in the chanting. I recognize a few words, then I hear the Heart Sutra. Later the hdad priest serves us our breakfast.

submerged
in darkness and sound
the emptiness is solid
and the Buddha mind begins to open