Friday, January 20, 2006

The Pagoda at Kew

This evening my thoughts were taken back to Kew. That's the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew by the Thames, London. There, standing ten stories, is a Chinese Pagoda to be viewed from miles around. My first sight of this foreign building, at around age eight, left a lasting impression. It said much and mostly, I realize now, spoke silently of something bigger than myself. Not just physically but 'otherly'.

The capacity of children to be awed, to stand in wonderment at a sight or sound, to know it and be satisfied is a wonder in itself. And still there remains that capacity in adulthood. I'd think it a sad thing if we were to loose that.

Until a moment ago I'd not made the connection between the pagoda at Kew and Buddhism! Yes, it certainly did make a lasting impression, probably a seed that changed my life.

Seeds just need the right conditions to start growing and that comes in a timely fashion for all.