In case you don’t believe me when I say that frogs are natural Zen practitioners, here’s a shot of a green Master meditating in the pond behind the Providence Zen Center. This weekend the Kwan Um School of Zen is holding its annual Sangha weekend in commemoration of the late Zen Master Seung Sahn’s birthday. After this morning’s Zen ceremonies, I spooked a handful of frogs from the pond out back…but this massive bullfrog didn’t budge, letting me take a zoom-free Extreme Closeup. (Click on the image for a larger version.)
And in case you think only amphibians showed up this weekend’s festivities, here’s the requisite group photo taken after today’s precepts ceremony. (Thanks to JW for taking this picture…and for eventually returning my camera afterward.) The folks holding up certificates took various sorts of Buddhist precepts, thereby declaring their intention to find their True Self and save all beings…bullfrogs included. (If you want to search for my face in this sea of Zen Mamas and Papas, click on the image for a larger version.)
Jul 30, 2005 at 10:50 pm
LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
but that is one beeeautiful frog
and the photo is too, Lorianne
Jul 30, 2005 at 11:41 pm
I found you without enlarging. It was like where’s waldo, without the hat.
: )
Jul 31, 2005 at 7:04 am
Suzanne, I think Mr. Froggy’s so handsome, he needs no kiss to turn into a prince!
K, I think you have an advantage knowing me in person, since you know to look for my large fuzzy *hair* instead of Waldo’s cap!
Jul 31, 2005 at 7:51 am
Zen and the Art of Group Photograpy.
Jul 31, 2005 at 11:23 am
I’ll let you in on a secret Sloan and I figured out: frogs are actually escaped footnotes. They slip out of academic libraries in the dead of night, seeking freedom from the dullest of technical works. You can tell this is true, because why else would they go around saying “ibid, ibid”? And if you listen very carefully, you may hear the rare “op cit”.
Jul 31, 2005 at 9:20 pm
I love froggies!
Aug 1, 2005 at 1:02 pm
A fine frog, and a fine group of frogs below. Found you easily. Nice to see Matt in his new blue kasa. Who is this other man in blue? Looks like Stan Lombardo…?
Aug 1, 2005 at 5:48 pm
Joan, at the last precepts ceremony, I took a picture of people taking this requisite group photo:
http://www.hoardedordinaries.com/archives/000461.html
At that ceremony, we took the picture inside. This weekend, we were outside, facing into the sun & *squinting*.
Bane, I’m *still* groaning at your awful pun…I love it!
Of course, I use MLA documentation style, so I use parenthetical citations, not *frognotes*. 
fin, that makes two of us!
Yes, Mumun, both Stan Lombardo & Judy Roitman JDPSN took 49 precepts. In the picture, Judy’s standing next to Stan, but you can’t see her blue kasa in the crowd.