Mad in Pursuit Notebook

1. Home >
2. "Possessed" Hub >
3. FILL IN |
4. Contact

Shaka Nyorai & the Numinous Moment

I pulled this delicate Japanese piece off the shelf to dust it and to check how broken it might be. It is Shaka Nyorai (the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, aka Shakyamuni) in his posture of meditation. I have no record of when or where Jim got it.

Dusting it lightly with a soft, small brush, I noticed the writing on the back and had Gemini take a stab at translating it.

It is a family shrine, I learned, commissioned to commemorate the death of a loved one, in the year of the Water Monkey, 1812. The soot-covered lacquer and worn-off gilding are the physical remnants of the family tending to their household altar, lighting incense, and praying for their dear one over the subsequent decades.

Today is the 13th. Jim's lucky number. His childhood home was on 13 Sachem Street and he peacefully slipped away on the 13th of the month. The revelation of the shrine's purpose, in light of today's date, gave me a moment—or an hour, actually. The world became very quiet, except for the wind and waves outside. I felt the sacred presence around me. Peace. Beauty. Wonder. Joy.

Now, wine poured.

13 Mar 2026

All pages in this website by Susan Barrett Price are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.