We went begging today, literally. Called "takuhatsu," the Buddha advised his monks to live on only what they could beg that day. The practice is kept alive here at Tenryu-sodo in Kyoto, begging door to door around town every two or three days. As Dominican (beggars ourselve) Thierry-Marie and I were excited about joining them.
The act of begging is a practice in shunyata, empty mind. The beggar should not think about the gift, or the asking for the gift, or the way his sandals are killing his feet (they do, especially when they are 2 inches too small!). The givers should not give just because the monks need the money, or to benefit their karma. Empty mind meets empty mind. Shunyata.
Takuhatsu, like everything in Rinsai Zen, is ritually codified. The monks wear traditional garb, including grass sandals, white leggings, a bamboo hat and a special begging bag. As you go you chant "Ho" in order to empty your mind, and it also just happens to announce your presense to people who might want to give. You stop at each house to give people in each house the opportunity to give.
I entered the experience fairly well, though I probably was a bit too interested in it all to be called "empty." But the chanting "Ho" helps to empty the mind and I thought I was doing alright... until a little boy came up with his grandmother; he full of excitement, she eager to pass on this time-honored tradition.
As I looked into his eyes, his smile and her joy filled my heart. Darn.... Hooooooooo.... Hooooooooo....