Here's how Francis H. Cook describes Indra's net:
Here's a picture that includes the adults: Becky far left, sitting on the second step is Peggy, third step far right is Percy and behind Percy is me. Not pictured are Laura and Ann B. Thank you for your good work. A special thank you to Ann B. for providing cookies and grapes which all enjoyed during a pleasant break.
Hazel thinning out Jerusalem artichokes while scaling a slope on the Regent side of the Gardens. She showed her tenacity while maintaining her balance and pulling on the sturdy stalks.
" Far away in the heavenly abode of the great god Indra, there is a wonderful net which has been hung by some cunning artificer in such a manner that it stretches out infinitely in all directions. In accordance with the extravagant tastes of deities, the artificer has hung a single glittering jewel in each "eye" of the net, and since the net itself is infinite in dimension, the jewels are infinite in number. There hang the jewels, glittering "like" stars in the first magnitude, a wonderful sight to behold. If we now arbitrarily select one of these jewels for inspection and look closely at it, we will discover that in its polished surface there are reflected all the other jewels in the net, infinite in number. Not only that, but each of the jewels reflected in this one jewel is also reflecting all the other jewels, so that there is an infinite reflecting process occurring." [Cook, Francis H. (1977), Hua-Yen Buddhism: The Jewel Net of Indra,]
The net is a metaphor for the universe and our world in which all phenomena are interconnected and mutually interdependent. Chief Seattle's reported words tells us more about Indra's net.
"This we know: All things are connectedlike the blood that unites us.We did not weave the web of life,We are merely a strand in it.Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves."
Chief Seattle was the leader of the Duwamish and Suquamish peoples from Washington state. He died on June 7, 1866 at the age of 85 or 86. His wisdom and words live on. Seattle is named after him.
So here we are embedded in Indra's Net. Chief Seattle reminds us that whatever we do to the net/web affects us. The climate crisis is an obvious example of how individual and collective actions negatively affect both the web of life and each one of us. Right now stories about the horrific Hurricane Helene underscore the truth of Chief Seattle's warning written so many years ago.
Prospect Gardens is a jewel in Indra's net. On September 21st thirteen volunteers joined my wife Ann and me as we once again cared for the Gardens. Nine of the volunteers are members of West High School's Leo Club, a community service club sponsored by the Lion's Club.
Pictured are the stalwart Leo Club members. In the blue shirt (far left) is Sanjana, then in the dark blue shirt is Hazel, wearing a pink shirt is Kaylee, Emily in black (leaning on the rail), wearing a gray shirt is Amy (in the middle), and to the left of Amy is Selene. At the top, is Vasu, Gaon, and then Rajeev, Leo's Club's president and a senior.
Rajeev is my contact who recruited participating Leo Club members. He was also helpful in guiding his fellow students after I gave instructions. Thank you Rajeev. A special thank you to the nine Leo Club members who gave up their Saturday morning. Each one of you is a gem.
The Gardens are just about ready for winter. Putting up the orange snow fences is one of the few remaining tasks.
Peggy working on the Regent side. This was Peggy first time volunteering. Thank you, Peggy. You are now officially an experienced volunteer and will be warmly welcomed back.
Sanjana, Emily, Rajeev, Gaon, and Vasu. Lots of youthful energy even after a few hours of hard work.
Our collective efforts resulted in two large piles of plant materials. Here's Percy between the two piles with her trusted hand tool. Percy with her oversized hand tool can clean out weeds in no time.
A special thank you to John from City Engineering for scheduling the pickup. His crew did an exceptional clean up. Thank you crew members. The crew and John are more jewels in Indra's net.
Here are four more pictures of crew members in action or taking a break .
Becky, Selene, and Amy after cleaning up a Regent side section next to the path. What a team!
Emily did an outstanding job of removing white snake root from the Gardens. Not an easy task because she worked on a slope and sometimes with rocks underfoot. Emily revealed her grit while navigating the challenging terrain. I wonder if she ever thought about rock climbing.
Indra's Net and Chief Seattle's words implies that we have a responsibility to further the common good. Many times as we tend the Gardens, passersby express their thanks for the beauty we now maintain. Their statements tell me that developing and maintaining the Gardens has impacted the common good of our neighborhood.
Goldfinches eating Jerusalem artichokes seeds and a Monarch butterfly feeding on the blooming asters are more signs of how Prospect Gardens benefit nature and the common good. The Monarch I saw is probably migrating to Mexico. The bright golden male yellow goldfinches are changing into a brownish-dull yellow hue as they prepare for winter. Shades of brown help the males blend into the bare underbrush of winter; offering some protection against predators.
The little bunnies who ate some spring plants have moved on. Reluctantly, I admit they too are part of Indra's net. Chipmunks on these warm autumn days still scamper between and among the rocks.
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| Frank Joswick (1905-1995) |
Furthering the common good and community service were ingrained in my high school education under the influence of Mr. Frank Joswick. During the early 1950s rural school consolidation swept through Wisconsin. Mr. Joswick, Administrator of the Pulaski Schools, led the initiative in the Pulaski area. He worked tirelessly convincing one room school loyalists from 13 small rural school districts that consolidation would benefit their children.
The one room school I attended for six years closed in 1956 after joining the new Pulaski district. As a seventh grader, I attended the new elementary school in Pulaski and entered an expanded new world.
Now the Pulaski Community School District is the largest district by area in the state. It spans 176 square miles and has five elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The district serves 3700 students.
Mr. Joswick's educational philosophy permeated the consolidate school district and his legacy continues. Mr. Joswick was the district's Superintendent for 35 years. He believed that school and community were closely linked. His educational philosophy also stressed that democracy required a sound public education system and that learning occurs in community settings. Plus Mr. Joswick stressed that we have a responsibility to work for the common good through community service.
Community service was so important to Mr. Joswick that during the early years of his superintendency teachers he hired were required to do community service. Mr. Joswick throughout his life time served the Pulaski community in several ways besides being superintendent of schools. For example, he founded the Tri-County Medical Clinic located in Pulaski, served on the Village Board, and after retirement FX managed the Pulaski Canning Factory. One of my summer jobs was with the canning factory. Packed green beans for long hours in sweltering heat, and sometimes partied afterwards.
Mr. Joswick taught a senior government course that reflected his educational philosophy. I missed his course because he retired before I was a senior. I still experienced his educational philosophy. In 1942, Mr. Joswick made the lapsed community newspaper part of the high school curriculum with students and a teacher in charge of the community newspaper. During most of my high school years, I worked on The Pulaski News as part of a journalism class, led by Mr. Bernard Olenejeick. He acted more like a newspaper editor than a teacher while we were reporters.
I also during one year, with a signed pass in my pocket, walked downtown to Pulaski businesses, convincing them to buy ads. It was an easy sale while teaching me the importance of contributing to the common good through community service. Publishing a newspaper with other students also taught me valuable skills of working as a team and how to collectively meet deadlines.
Here I am as a senior, the guy with the crew cut. We are in the back of the high school's library, probably conducting research for a history or social studies report. We could quietly converse. If we were too loud, Mrs. Schroeder, the gentle and respected librarian, would let us know.
The Pulaski News continues to be a community newspaper and the oldest student -run newspaper in the country. The paper is produced 26 times per year and is written by students who are in an English class. During the summer, there
are six part-time paid editors on staff. Editions are both in paper and on online. Follow this link for more information
On September 28th, Ann and I got up early for a trip to my home town, Pulaski. I was a panelist with my sister Barbara and several others from the Pulaski area. The panel was part of an event about one room schools sponsored by the Pulaski Area Historical Society. A very pleasant time with panel members and people in the audience as we shared stories.
During the event, I mentioned the historical impact of the consolidation movement and Mr. Joswick's leadership. In response my 83 year old brother Tom, in the audience, talked about how Mr. Joswick's course influenced his life and values. Tom's life long lesson from the course is the importance of living in ways that results, to quote Tom, in "the greatest good for the greatest number." This quotation according to Tom is from the writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225--1274), an Italian Dominican friar and priest, an influential philosopher and theologian.
Tom's lessons from Mr. Joswick's course, Indra's Net, and promoting the common good are on my mind as I make decisions about the critical 2024 presidential election. My ballot also includes Congressional offices, three local referendums, and one state-wide referendum to change the Wisconsin Constitution. Tending Prospect Gardens is always a refuge and now provides one from the tense election dynamics.
In this spirit of this blog, I will not advocate for candidates or state positions on the referendum. However, I do encourage you to vote. I end these musings by extending a blessing as expressed in Carrie Newcomer's poem.
Blessing
" May you wake with a sense of play,
An exultation of the possible.
May you rest without guilt,
Satisfied at the end of a day well done.
May all the rough edges be smoothed,
If to smooth is to heal,
And the edges be left rough,
When the unpolished is more true
And infinitely more interesting.
May you wear your years like a well-tailored coat
Or a brave sassy scarf.
May every year yet to come:
Be one more bright button
Sewn on a hat you wear at a tilt.
May the friendships you’ve sown
Grown tall as summer corn.
And the things you’ve left behind,
Rest quietly in the unchangeable past.
May you embrace this day,
Not just as any old day,
But as this day.
Your day.
Held in trust
By you,
In a singular place,
Called now."
