Rev. Danny Fisher

(From left to right) Miroj Shakya, Ven. Rinchen Gyatso, and me at Malibu Lagoon State Beach. Photo by Ven. Hyun Gak.

After a summer full of travel, I’m officially back in Los Angeles–ready to start another semester.

My pal Ven. Rinchen Gyatso suggested to some colleagues and I that we end our summer in style with a day at the beach. So we piled in his car and headed off to the lovely and quite pleasantly subdued Malibu Lagoon State Beach.

I think I speak for everyone when I say that we had a wonderful and very relaxing time. And the weather couldn’t have been better–wow! What a perfect beach day.

There was lots of good conversation and quiet time, as well as no small amount of sight-seeing on our way to Malibu. It was just what we all needed to recharge our batteries and everyone was very grateful to Ven. Gyatso for his suggestion and his driving. It’s also certainly worth mentioning that my roommate and good friend Miroj Shakya was an extremely good sport in the company of such depraved pranksters as Ven. Gyatso and I…

So now it’s on with the new semester–my last semester of classes. Maybe ever. I’ve got to stop being a student sometime, right? As S.N. Goenka always says: “Anicca, anicca, anicca…” At any rate, I’m very much looking forward to another semester at UWest. I really appreciate and admire all my colleagues and friends there. Like all the important people in my life, they call to mind something I read once…

…Ven. Ananda went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to the Blessed One, sat to one side. As he was sitting there, Ven. Ananda said to the Blessed One, “This is half of the holy life, lord: admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie.”

“Don’t say that, Ananda. Don’t say that. Admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life. When a monk has admirable people as friends, companions, & comrades, he can be expected to develop & pursue the noble eightfold path.

“And how does a monk who has admirable people as friends, companions, & comrades, develop & pursue the noble eightfold path? There is the case where a monk develops right view dependent on seclusion, dependent on dispassion, dependent on cessation, resulting in relinquishment. He develops right resolve … right speech … right action … right livelihood … right effort … right mindfulness … right concentration dependent on seclusion, dependent on dispassion, dependent on cessation, resulting in relinquishment. This is how a monk who has admirable people as friends, companions, & colleagues, develops & pursues the noble eightfold path.

“And through this line of reasoning one may know how admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life: It is in dependence on me as an admirable friend that beings subject to birth have gained release from birth, that beings subject to aging have gained release from aging, that beings subject to death have gained release from death, that beings subject to sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair have gained release from sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. It is through this line of reasoning that one may know how admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole of the holy life.”