Mayumi Oda, I Opened the Gate, Laughing: An Inner Journey
Mayumi’s inner journey meant getting divorced from her husband (John Nathan) and reconnecting with the Buddhism of her youth, as well as finding her path through gardening and connecting to the earth. This book has many colorful prints of her garden, fruits and vegetables (radishes, cabbages), other creatures (frogs, spiders, and insects) and strong women role models, aka goddesses (Green Tara).
I realize I first encountered Mayumi back in the late 80s and early 90s when I was reading the first books of Thich Nhat Hanh published through Parallax Press; she contributed the drawings. In addition to revisiting and enjoying them, I will continue to reflect on the following passages from I Opened the Gate, Laughing …
We both maintained exciting professional lives in NY. Life was very exhilarating, but somehow it didn’t make much sense to me.
Everything I have done is in the service of Gaia’s garden.
My heart was calm and my eyes were open.
Many times I felt like a failure at living my life.
My heart still pounds with the mystery of this blossoming out of wet, black soil.
Staring at the soft green color [of the lettuce patch], I thought, “They came out of the earth,” then something struck me with great force. They were all alive… so alive, breathing just like us. I felt we were all part of the great life force. I started to cry. I was so completely supported by this earth.
I sat in the center of the world of interdependence, eating oatmeal.
I was awed at how small we humans are in comparison to nature’s force and realized that we can never go against it.
One of Harry’s great teachings was that we should open our eyes and believe what we see, being simply and deeply observant.
In Japan, Buddhism for me was like the dusty sutra books on the altar. Here it is alive, taking new forms. The ancient Buddhist teaching of interconnectedness is enriched by the native American tradition of reverence for the earth.
I see the presence of mysterious feminine, Mother Tao, here in the valley, receiving and creating new life.
Boiled potato and chopped parsley with plenty of butter is one of the most divine foods that I know of.
I knew that I had come back to Gaia’s secret garden to nurture myself and my children. With a secure fence around me, I healed. I became whole.
I was writing this book for myself. I thought of it just as a process that I needed to go through to understand things that had gone on in my life.
