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Chandra
Thu, 25 Mar 1999

Vidya,

Is it already two days since you wrote!? I would like to address only one point of the many you raised.

You wrote:
chandra , the bit about 'Umbrellas re-covered' was excellent . but itset me thinking . you had written "when he mentions the name of the drapery: "Umbrellas Re-covered. " ... With the death of the priest, whatever would have been uncovered by the priest, has now been re-covered...." but in the story the actual sentences are "The drapery consisted mainly of children's bootees and umbrellas; and on ordinary days a notice used to hang in the window, saying: Umbrellas Re-covered. No notice was visible now, for the shutters were up" could he have meant on ordinary days (days before the death of the father) it was re-covered .

I understand these sentences as being that the priest - rather his straying - has been re-covered, after his death. Hence there is no reason for the sign anymore.

And the sentence: "The drapery consisted mainly of children's bootees and umbrellas ..." means for me that the church (the drapery) dealt mostly with innocent people whose minds were like those of children.

"I mean the boy knowing very well the implication of breaking the chalice broke it ."

I tend to think that the breaking of the chalice was an accident, only after it happened the implications were clear.

Apart from my interpretations, I think that each of us see and interpret things differently. It is all relative like those sentences from Kenu Rinpoche which I had posted last Sunday. Your interpretation is as valid as mine. Actually I wanted to reinterpret the story from a totally different point of view. Will do so before the week ends.

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