Day of the Marauders, 6th of Midsommer, 526 M.E. (Betelgeuse): Last night, we watched the storm front approach. Meteorologists were updating their social media posts every hour. The Tornado Watch went into effect around 10:00 pm, while the flash flood warning had been in effect since 4:00. The evening news advised to be prepared for power outages and I heard the distant rumble of thunder as I went to bed.

When it was all said and done and the storm had finally passed, only 0.50 inches of rain fell on Atlanta, 0.08 inches before midnight, and 0.42 after. 

The rainfall wasn't evenly distributed. Nearby Peachtree Dekalb Airport (PDK), seven miles northeast of here, saw 1.47 inches before midnight and 0.47 after. Peachtree City, Georgia, about 30 miles southeast of here, had 2.32 inches before midnight and about the same as PDK and here after. Columbus, Georgia, about 100 miles southeast of here, had 1.32 inches of rain before midnight and 2.94 inches after, setting a new record for this date going going back to 1903. 

Peachtree Creek crested about six inches above its pre-rain stage, but nowhere near flood stage (17 inches). No floods and no tornados, for which I'm grateful, just a lot of media-generated anxiety over, well, a rainy night in Georgia.  

From the beginning of time, the Buddha taught, all beings have mistakenly identified themselves with that of which they are aware. Controlled by their experience of perceived objects, they lose track of their fundamental mind. In Buddhism, the thinking mind is conditioned, impermanent, and ever-changing, but the fundamental mind is always present and is the true essence of the self.  

When we lose sight of the true essence of the self (the fundamental mind), we identify ourselves as the subject that is facing the objects we encounter, and we discriminate among them, evaluate them, and chase after or escape from them. Being deluded by the discriminative thinking mind and losing the fundamental mind is a fundamental cause of suffering.

Jingqing asked a monk, “What sound is that outside the gate?” The monk said, “The sound of raindrops.” Jingqing said, “Sentient beings are inverted. They lose themselves and follow after things.” 

Zen Master Dogen wrote, 

Just hearing,

Without extra mind,

The jewel-like raindrops

Dripping from the eaves

Are me.