The day I met Colin, he was jet lagged from coming across the Atlantic. The exhaustion did absolutely nothing to diminish Colin’s impact — this Irishman has a presence.
Colin with Jizo aside his cross.
When I placed my Jizo next to the cross he was wearing, we reaffirmed that the philosophy of Buddhism complements any religion. After all, Buddhism is called ‘the religion of no religion’.
Jizo holds each of us safely, committed to staying here on the earth until everyone is finished suffering. The journey of anyone far from home, as Colin is from his native Ireland, is softened by wearing Jizo’s pendant, designed to help us stay grounded even when we are in the unknown.
It was in Japan, in Kyoto and then on Miyajima Island that I first discovered Jizo. Seeing a little Buddha-like figure wearing a bib in the backyard of a house along our hike of the island struck me and has never left. That figure whispered, “Take me home, tell them. Tell them there is safety but it is on the inside.”
Just ask Captain Hook if his journey into stardom is a little bit safer in Jizo’s arms.
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