Church was boring. We sang corny
Christian-sounding hymns and read boring sutras out loud. To
while away the time, I bit my nails and played with my ojuzu (prayer
beads). If I crossed my eyes just right, I could make the
minister disappear.
It's not that I didn't believe in the
Buddha. Every time we recited the Golden Chain, the words
etched themselves onto my heart and weighted my brain.
...I will try to think pure and beautiful
thoughts, to say pure and beautiful words, and to do pure and
beautiful deeds,knowing that on what I do now depends not only
my happiness and unhappiness, but also that of others.
The Floating World, oil, 36 x 44