"Dying
You have less than a second
To live" -Philip Whalen
As Abbot at San Francisco's Hartford Street Zen Center Philip was both accessible and casual. Almost alarmingly so. He presided over the evening meditation with relaxed purpose. He encouraged you to change your posture when needed, to not be so overly polite when you were getting your shoes on to leave. In fact, Hartford Street Zen Center completley lacked the rigid formality I have found in any Dharma center I have ever been to. Its lack of pretension made it a good place to practice Dharma and in turn meet one's mind. Philip often hosted the Saturday morning Zen talks by intorducing a fine selection of Zen teachers, many of whom had been integral parts of the San Franciso poetry scene when it had burned with intensity. They were his old pals. He often winced when I mentioned my own predilection for Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism, having an issue with reincarnation. But he encouraged me none the less. There are several moments that stand out in my mind:
- Philip telling me about when San Francisco had precious few trees.
- Philp's utter distain for jasmine tea (I beleive he dismissed it as a cheap imitation).
- Ending a Zen talk one Saturday (the guest speaker never showed) by saying"...and so we sit with our breath & burn a lot of incense...and there's a lot of ash left behind." The last statement stopped my mind. It continues to do so.
On July 28, 2002 I had the great privilege of having darshan with Philip's fresh corpse at his room in Zen Center's Page Street Hospice. Just a mere two hours after landing in San Francisco from New Jersey, it was the most powerful meditation I had ever experienced. There were Philp's favorite cookies and tea available in the Hospice dining room. I cannot remember what exactly the tea was but I do know it wasn't jasmine.
Twenty five years ago I worked as the personal assissstant for the Pulitzer Prize winning poet James Schuyler here. Though far from a happening time at the Chelsea, I regarded my duties as an honor and privilege. Jimmy was always thoughtful, caring & sensitive despite all of the hardships he endured. He encouraged me as an aspiring artist and (then) poet. In his Diary (published some years later) Jimmy would remark that I was "...prompt, capable and a pleasure to have around." Prompt? Yes. Capable? Perhaps. A Pleasure to be around? At 24 I seriously doublt it. I began working for Jimmy January 18, 1985. I took this picture Friday the 15th of January 2010 thinking of Jimmy, for he was in my thoughts upon waking and has remained so the past few days.
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