in the 50's here in germany we had these tiny corner stores where you could buy mixed candies for 5 pence - wrapped up in a little triangular paperbag with blue stars printed on it. my favorite sort where the heartshaped, raspberry flavoured, veryvery red ones, with a delicate, soft consistence. the remembrance of that taste and all the details of the shop are still quite alive inside me. everything seemed to be so high up and tall - or maybe it's just that i still was so small in those days.

there is a certain turningpoint in my life closely connected to one symbol - the 'kesa' - which i received when i took my vows to become a zen monk. it is at the same time a prayer, an expression of incredible beauty, infinite presence and eternal change - it is a mindfully joined patchwork of seven torn pieces in one frame, hand-sewn by a zen nun.

one aspect of zen is 'fusei' - something given unconditionally without any thoughts.
unconditional love is just what it is - a sun shining on holy water in the same way as on the puddles in the street. it's the spiritual flow of energy that i experienced with sufis as well as in a christian church, in a synagoge and in a buddhist temple. sometimes the taste is a bit different, but the nurturing essence is the same - pure love, joy and bliss.

there is a soul in every human being - living through this human body while walking on earth. no matter on which religious bias the intellectual framework might be buildt - it's the soul inside each human being that is longing for realization.