It was not a white Christmas this year.

I was in Florida during Christmas.  But, I didn't forget to watch the weather reports every morning and evening to monitor the weather conditions in Pennsylvania.  Because I wasn't at the temple, I strongly wished that there wouldn't be any snowstorms hitting Pennsylvania.  The previous predicament of having nobody to remove the snow still has a deep impression on me.  I should really thank the cooperation of the great nature that the weather conditions in Pocono are all very well during that period.  But, in the sunshine state, I felt the wind was bone-chilling due to the unusual cold.

After coming back to Pocono, the snowflakes were also streaming in.  Several consecutive night of snow made temperature drop rapidly.  Clouds seemed to be frozen in the sky because of extremely cold weather.  Soon, the residents in Pocono experienced a devastating ice-storm.

Opening the window one morning, I was stunned by the scene outside.  The non-stopping freezing rain froze the ground overnight.  The parking lot turned into a skating rink.  Patrolling the peripheral environment is my daily routine.  It was especially unusual that day, the Dogwood and Maple tree in front of the door were covered with a thick layer of ice.  Those spirited branches normally were bent down to the ground because they couldn't take the weight of the thick ice and could be broken by touch.  After I walked around once in this entire area to make sure that all were safe and uneventful then I turned around to return to the temple.

There was a loud sound made me opened the door again.  Surprisingly, I discovered a thick branch of the big maple tree next to the building crashed to the ground.  The cause is the weight of the ice.  The path under that big maple tree where I had walked through just few seconds ago was the place I must passed through when patrolling the basement each time.  Even a hole was made in the solid ground.  If that thick branch hit someone it could have a dire accident.

After noon, the power went out!  I took out the candle and flashlight immediately.  The temple had out of electricity sometimes before and the electricity were all recovered in a very short time.  The time had passed quickly that the sky was from bright to dark.  I was aware that the situation was severe especially in this freezing winter night.  The north wind with the wind chill below twenty or thirty Fahrenheit kept on howling.  The chilly wind gushed in the house from the crack of windows and doors.  It was cold and nothing but cold!  I lit a candle up then watched that weak candlelight to pass a sleepless night.

Our temple uses the well water that pumped up by an electric motor.  The next day near noon, the water was out too.  Under the recommendation of the laypeople, I decided to leave the temple and stayed at their home temporarily.  I ran into our carrier Miss Donna in the parking lot who came here to deliver letters.  Donna yelled out immediately when she saw the luggage on my hand: "Please don't go!  We need you here to pray for us!"  I replied: "Don't worry!  Buddha will always be with you!"

We drove on Rt. 940, the scene in front my eyes was unbelievable that the trees along both sides of the road were bent and pressed down by the ice and tilted on the road which formed a silver tunnel.  The branches that hanged down from the trees brushed on the roof of the car sending out a very strange sound.  I saw some restoral personnel busy with removing those big trees in middle of the road.  The Pocono that I was always accustomed to presenting me with the other side of its unacquainted appearance.

Four days later, the temple's electricity was restored and I returned to the temple as well.  Learning from the news report that this big ice storm in Pocono was unprecedented.  Most of the residents stayed in the temporary shelters due to no water and electricity.  Some remote mountainous area didn't get back water and electricity for two weeks.  The people of the Pocono had many complaints and the utility personnel were streaming with sweat but still couldn't oppose the power of Nature.

After experiencing this ordeal, my vigilance in facing difficulty increased perceptibly and I was grateful to all the things in my daily life.  The Buddhism asserts the Law of Cause and Condition, once we realized the significance of all sorts of human affairs then our bodies and minds can rejoice, we would Accord With the Circumstances and our mind would free from delusion.

The Six Patriarch of the Zen school once had said:

"Not to have any ignorant thoughts at all times and constantly practice wisdom then that is doing the Wisdom Practice.  One ignorant thought is no wisdom and one wisdom thought means the wisdom emerges from the inside."  Even when we have to fight Mother Nature.

One ignorant thought produces the defilement.  The bigoted views are the toxin of all sorts of barriers that destroy the balance and growth of our minds, form the source of our Power of Karma, and are the obstacles of the wisdom.  Only positive shining wisdom is the nutrient ingredient in realizing the high quality of our lives.

A resident of New York provides his way of maintaining cheerfulness: "Maintaining the warmth in your mind can keep you warm.  Everybody has to keep on living after all.  No matter the weather is good or bad it is a part of our lives originally."  I think this is the best portrayal of facing and undertaking the difficulty.

Thank Roger and Francine for taking care of me during my temporary stay at their home.  May they have innumerable merit!