Bodhi and Sensei

1994, preparing to meditate

When I first heard that Shibuya Sensei meditated hours and hours a day, I didn't understand why anyone would want to do that. I saw meditation as a way of practicing your mind so that you could get more out of life; the calisthenics to give you a healthy mind. When I first met him at UCLA in 1992 I was so impressed by the clarity with which he described meditation. I felt like I was hearing myself describe it to me, and the meditation process began to make more sense. I started practicing with him 3 or 4 times a week for 1 to 4 hours. He inspired me to challenge myself to reach greater success in my meditation, which I did in Spring of 1993. By regularly sitting in 2nd or 3rd Jhana, I realized that life and meditation are the same thing -- that the same situation exists with both. I also let go of my ideas of meditating to greater success to impress my friends.     Over the years, we've become friends and have traveled from LA to places like San Diego, Catalina Island, San Jacinto, Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Mt. Whitney Portal, Sequoia, Antelope Valley, Summerville/OR, Mt. Vernon/OR, and I met up with him in Japan once. Generally our trips were in search of a good place to meditate, though I enjoyed them as adventures too.     Along the way, I published his book Wakeful in 2000 under the name Bodhi's Press, primarily as a gift to him. Also, at the Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist Temple where he lives, Dharma Vijaya Bubbhist Vihara I received precepts as Bodhicari Bodhi (Bodhicari = lay minister-teacher) in May 1995, though I've been inactive in the Theravada tradition since around 1998.     I've practiced with him for so many years and learned so much, like how a person can love meditation, and how understanding one's self can be of vital and consuming importance. Still, I have yet to fully let go and enter the stream as they say. The conversations, adventures and people I've met with him take second only to the practice sessions when I've observed his good example and tried to demonstrate the same. He continues to be my good example.

tea at the temple	with Sundari	Carlsbad flower fields	walking in Vista
cedar forest, Japan	Mt. Haguro-san, Japan	movies in Hollywood	dinner in Beverly Hills

Bodhicari Bodhi, P.O.Box 11131 Newport Beach, CA 92658-5019, or email: bodhi@zinfinite.com