tariki

Everything progresses even as it stays the same. One eminent philosopher said that reality is a "constant advance into novelty" and so it is! We stay with our "selves" at our peril. Very much an admirer of Alan Watts and his work at the moment (along with Candy Crush Soda Saga, for which I can proudly claim to be at level 4445) He had his problems with drink but hey, we all have our problems. Fix your own. Reading his "The Way of Zen" at the moment. This from his introduction:- Western thought has changed so rapidly in this century that we are in a state of considerable confusion. Not only are there serious difficulties of communication between the intellectual and the general public, but the course of our thinking and of our very history has seriously undermined the common-sense assumptions which lie at the roots of our social conventions and institutions. Familiar concepts of space, time, and motion, of nature and natural law, of history and social change, and of human personality itself have dissolved, and we find ourselves adrift without landmarks in a universe which more and more resembles the Buddhist principle of the “Great Void.” The void! Positive or negative. Some fear the void, some embrace it. Alan Watts then goes on to quote an old zen saying:- Above, not a tile to cover the head; below, not an inch of ground for the foot. He then says that such language should not actually be so unfamiliar to us, were we truly prepared to accept the meaning of “the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head.” Nowhere to lay our heads! Most prefer "beliefs", even to the point of claiming that their own set the parameters of an "only way". Quite tragic. Is there an "only way" set in stone, found in a book, that can actually set us free? Gives us the "peace that passes understanding"? More often than not the peace I see in others is all too understandable! As Thomas Merton once said, the only way is in fact "no way at all", a "way" where we in fact become as good as lost. But - as he says again - such a way is not a way out! Well, I waffle. An image found at random on Google. I like it.

Not quite sure what the final two lines mean?

Another page, this with one of William Blake's depictions of God - who was often referred to in other contexts as "Old Nobodaddy"! Blake once wrote a poem addressed to this entity:- Why art thou silent & invisible Father of jealousy Why dost thou hide thyself in clouds From every searching Eye Why darkness & obscurity In all thy words & laws That none dare eat the fruit but from The wily serpents jaws Or is it because Secresy gains females loud applause

A couple of sample pages from "Christian Mystics":-

Now awaiting a couple more Blooks from Blookup. One is "Christian Mystics" and the other is a third volume of "McDonald's Memos". The cover shows the church of Little Gidding, associated with T.S.Eliot's "Four Quartets". Which gives me the excuse to quote again the last few lines of that poem, which I love... We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. Through the unknown, remembered gate When the last of earth left to discover Is that which was the beginning; At the source of the longest river The voice of the hidden waterfall And the children in the apple-tree Not known, because not looked for But heard, half-heard, in the stillness Between two waves of the sea. Quick now, here, now, always— A condition of complete simplicity (Costing not less than everything) And all shall be well and All manner of thing shall be well When the tongues of flame are in-folded Into the crowned knot of fire And the fire and the rose are one. In the blurb to my blook I say that the pictures are large in comparison to the font of the text as I like them more than the words. A bit tongue in cheek, but almost true. Also that some of the pictures are of Buddhas and suchlike, which is "as it should be". Well, my coffee is getting cold.

I've always loved biographies, mostly of artists and writers ( but of some others too ) They put flesh and blood onto their various works. Apparently some such writers insist that their works should never be related to their lives as lived (I think T.S.Eliot for instance) but - at least for me - they are inseparable. Plus learning all the time. To take a quick look at a play of Beckett's on YouTube and wonder "what on earth is that all about" and then to have it illuminated by the learning and insight of others. Always remembering:- "One can never know enough, but not in order to judge", another profound quote found in a book on Beckett to add to my repertoire! (Not Beckett's words by the way, but appropriate to his own approach to life and living) "Judgement" is incompatible with any true understanding/living - that awful coming to conclusions. I relate it to the Pure Land way of "no-calculation" (hakarai). And then we have Christ's words..... "Judge not, lest you be judged" I'm waffling again.......😀

Samuel Beckett What more can you say?

Wonderful these days to have virtually all of the art of our world at our fingertips. On Kindle there is the Delphi series of artists, each available for the price of a cup of coffee at McDonald's. Each offers all the work of the artist, in colour and HD, and you can zoom in and magnify without losing defintion. There is also commentary and additional pictures of the artist, their birthplace and various other goodies. I have a great collection now and often download a selection and work through, moving slowly through the various works. Reading a biography of Samuel Beckett recently I learnt that he would often sit for more than an hour in front of certain works, absorbing the facial expressions and the "body language" of those depicted. Beckett transferred and transformed those expressions into the visual aspects of his plays, and looking at some on YouTube you can refer back to a particular painting and see how movement and emotion becomes part of the plays performance. There is a Japanese word, I think "menji" (but I keep forgetting the actual word!) which means something like the "passing on of reality face to face", reaching beyond simple book learning or even the very best prose. Which reminds me of an old Jewish story, of a guy who travels far to see a Rabbi who is becoming quite famous and talked about. Upon his return he is asked if he liked what he heard...." Oh, I did not go to listen to him, I wanted to see how he tied his shoelaces." There is certainly a communication going on all the time that transcends words - I think that is the way love, compassion, empathy, even mercy, are truly known, expressed and communicated. In our every gesture. Often our words can betray us. Thomas Merton once spoke of a true "mysticism" as being necessarily the "contact of two liberties". In context he meant the "liberty" of each singular human being and God. Being a non-theist myself I simply see reality as the contact of various liberties, each of us playing our part. Tying our shoelaces, drinking our coffee - love is there or it is not. Sorry, I'm rambling as usual. Waffling. It's just that at nearly 75 it is now or never and more and more I simply do not care what I pour out. May true Dharma continue. No blame. Be kind. Love everything.

Just finished reading the book "Damned to Fame", by James Knowlson, a biography of Samuel Beckett. My review of the book is now "live" on Amazon (if "live" is the right word......😀) and here it is:- I really enjoyed reading this biography of Samuel Beckett. Quite long but for me not a word was wasted. Before reading this I knew only of "Waiting for Godot" and "Krapp's Last Tape" and very little of Samuel Beckett's life story. This biography attains a fine balance between life story narrative and insight into the works of Beckett. Today, on a Kindle Fire, it is easy to switch from the text of the book to all the presentations of the plays on YouTube, and also to see the many great paintings that influenced Beckett. Quite an education! And I thank Mr Knowlson for sharing his deep knowledge of Becketts work that flows easily from the text. Samuel Beckett comes across as a fine human being, deeply compassionate in the very best way i.e. without any awareness of it or intent to be so. Just simply "there" for so many friends and even casual acquaintances met with as his life unfolded. The counterpoint for me is in the "eastern" ways of "emptiness", of "no-self", of the "void", of the creative nihilism that such ways promise to open in contrast to the despairing nihilism of our current "western" world. Given the information of this book, Beckett had no acquaintance with such ways and terms, yet his despair/nihilism was indeed creative and life-giving, with the potential to become so for anyone who absorbs the heart of his many plays of mime and voice, music and movement. Anyway, whatever, a superb book and one can only feel gratitude toward the learning of James Knowlson - and the life and works of Samuel Beckett. Thank you. (End of review) I love finding a book that becomes for me a "page turner" or one that "cannot be put down". Many are described as such on their blurbs, but reality often kicks in and two pages become enough before the book is put down - or turned off if on Kindle. But, whatever, as I said in the review, "educational". It has opened up so much, reviving interest in art and music. So much to feed such interest these days, when the whole artistic catalogue of say Rembrandt or Rafael can be had literally for the price of a coffee in McDonald's. Delphi's art series provides this, with indepth commentaries and extras such as pictures of the artists birthplace and even biographies. But. Beckett. I would love to have met him and sat in silence with him.

One thing to me it is not. It is not an offer by some transcendent Being which can be accepted or refused, all according to some particular theology. It has much more in keeping with the new flavour of milkshake in McDonald's, vanilla. Vanilla pods, grown on the south side of any particular plantation, well ripened. A singular taste, with a beany rather than a woody tang, ending with a rather rich bouquet that lingers long on the tongue. 😀

Here I am in the Kaf, really McDonald's with burger and coffee prior to my stint on the tills at Oxfam. Enjoying a holiday from "heavy" books and reading a biography of Samuel Beckett, "Damned to Fame". So good. In fact it seems to do all that any "heavy" book tries to do, but by way of no-calculation, which is in fact very Becketish the more I think about it (which I try not to do......😀) Well, I waffle. Some light moments in the book, a story told of an order for a pair of trousers from a Paris tailor:- The reference to the world and the pair of trousers alludes to the story of a tailor, who takes many weeks to make a pair of trousers for a customer. The client objects that it took God only seven days to make the entire world. But, replies the tailor, ‘look at the world and look at my trousers’! Well, it made me laugh, which doesn't come cheap. The book is by no means hagiographic, but for me Beckett comes shining through as a fine human being. Compassionate without self-consciousness of being so, and actually reaching deep into others even when lost in his own solitude. "Nothing to be done" - yet he does it! All providing a counterpoint, perhaps more an illumination, of much of Dogen. Having immersed myself in Dogen for a while, the life and thought of Beckett is a feast of "east/west" perceptions and inter-relationships. Much insight into:- ......flowers fall even though we love them; weeds grow even though we dislike them. Conveying oneself toward all things to carry out practice-enlightenment is delusion. All things coming and carrying out practice-enlightenment through the self is realization. (Words from "Genjokoan", the "actualisation of reality) Beckett was all against the creation of "order", of "answers", of any "system" that will inevitably stifle our spontaneous on-going life. His prose and plays are in many ways a sheer chaos. Yet:- There's a way out there, there's a way out somewhere, the rest would come, the other words, sooner or later, and the power to get there, and the way to get there, and pass out, and see the beauties of the skies, and see the stars again. (Samuel Beckett, ninth monologue, "Texts for Nothing", as spoken by a tramp-like waif as he contemplates death) "There's a way out", but keep quiet about it! Don't even think of it. Thomas Merton's "there is no key, no door" - don't ever think that you have the key! Beckett could have remained safe as a neutral Irish citizen in Paris during WW2 and the German occupation. But he joined the French Resistance and narrowly avoided capture by the Gestapo. I've now reached the post-war years, when his literary creativity exploded. "Waiting for Godot" is soon to come! "Nothing to be done"! Creative nihilism.

Yes, sorry about the lack of response. I've also found Forums that prove to be barely used! It can be very disappointing. Maybe try a few others, like:- www.spiritualforums.com which are very lively and with many sections where I think you would find a few responses. We all have "demons". Faith for me is in letting go, which strangely can lead to facing and overcoming all demons! But, whatever, all the best. Post more if you like.

I tend to extrapolate from one creed (ancient or modern or inbetween) to another. Find correspondences. So I also look around "today". No doubt what passes muster for us today (if anything) and what we might presume to be "wisdom", will be scorned 2000 years from now? Who knows. But we each have to find our own unique path, time and place. Unique. But though unique, what others have found is of interest. At least to me. Saved from what? Basically there is nothing that we need to do and yet we cannot do nothing (after allowing for Camus, who said that our first decision is whether or not to commit suicide!) After that, and deciding against, as Spike said:- What do we do now? (Atheist...."a" = not......theist) For me it still comes down to what is taught in the fundamental Theravada texts. i.e. ALL metaphysical conclusions are inimicable to what that branch of Buddhism called the "holy life":- So this holy life......does not have gain, honour, and renown for its benefit, or the attainment of virtue for its benefit, or the attainment of concentration for its benefit, or knowledge and vision for its benefit. But it is this unshakeable deliverance of mind that is the goal of this holy life, its heartwood, and its end. (Majjhima Nikaya)

Although I am a non-theistic Buddhist, I have become quite an expert on Christian Universalism (technical word apokatastasis) this being the teaching that eventually all will be saved and all things will be reconciled "in Christ". Beware of experts? Yes, well, as I say, I'm a bit of an expert.....😀 My expertise (!) has developed in part from my interest in Interfaith dialogue, an interest now on the wane as most Christians I tend to engage with on various forums have just one starting point i.e. There can be no dialogue between truth (theirs) and error (i.e. anything else) So debate and discussion tends to stall at the first hurdle. But then, as my mentor Thomas Merton has said at some point:- I have tried to learn in my writing a monastic lesson I could probably have not learned otherwise: to let go of my idea of myself, to take myself with more than one grain of salt................In religious terms, this is simply a matter of accepting life, and everything in life as a gift, and clinging to none of it, as far as you are able. You give some of it to others, if you can. Yet one should be able to share things with others without bothering too much about how they like it, either, or how they accept it. Assume they will accept it, if they need it. And if they don't need it, why should they accept it? That is their business. Let me accept what is mine and give them all their share, and go my way. Anyway, I'm rambling and waffling as usual. I'm not really seeking to advance the Universalist cause, more at the moment to say what I find problematic about it. This derives from the old comedy show of the late great Spike Milligan, Q6. Many of his sketches ended with some sort of punch line and then dear old Spike would stand ramrod stiff in the middle of the room and start muttering "What do we do now, what do we do now?" So Universalism. All are saved, all things are reconciled. But what do we do then? It's a very good question, and our questions can hold greater gold than many an "answer". In my own rather stumbling Pure Land Buddhist way of "no-calculation" the "journey itself is home", as the Japanese poet Basho has said. There is no final destination. The road goes on forever. And one of my mentors in zen, Dogen, speaks of the present moment being the only moment, "yet there is a movement toward Buddha", an ever opening intimacy with Reality. Another aspect is the guy (I can't remember who) who said that he would rather constantly pursue Truth rather than actually find it or have it "revealed" to him. What do you do with it when you have found it? Could any final "truth" even be of words? Well, that is it for now. But I will speak of Christian Universalism when I find the odd moment ( "odd" being, perhaps, the operative word....

Thanks

Hi Rom, there is some good stuff in Joseph Campbell. Evil is more often seen as not having the same "existence" as the Good. The Good is seen to be God (by Christian theologians), who then gives "existence" to the opposites. Isaiah 45:7 has:- I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things. Which is the ancient Hebrew response to Zoroastrianism, which spoke of two eternal forces of good and evil. One of the early Church Fathers, Origen (a Universalist) spoke like this:- I do not think that the reign of death is eternal as that of Life and Justice is, especially as I hear from the Apostle that the last enemy, death, must be destroyed [1 Cor 15:24]. For should one suppose that death is eternal as Life is, death will no longer be the contradictory of Life, but equal to it. For “eternal” is not the contradictory of “eternal,” but the same thing. Now, it is certain that death is the contradictory of Life; therefore, it is certain that, if Life is eternal, death cannot possibly be eternal. . . . Once the death of the soul, which is “the last enemy,” has been destroyed, the kingdom of death, together with death itself, will finally be wiped away. (Origen of Alexandria, Commentary on Romans 5:7) Life, the Good, the true, beauty...... The problem is that Christian Fundamentalists/Literalists in effect side with Zoroaster - insisting on an eternal and perpetual division between good and evil, lost and saved, "sheep" and "goats"! Again, the Catholic Church, in refusing to speak or acknowledge a "Godhead" beyond God, in effect are in danger of creating the self-same eternal division. Meister Eckhart:- "I pray to God to rid me of God" Anyway, perhaps I have waffled enough, and my coffee is getting cold. Hope all is well with you. I've just lost my best mate, a true friend, always there when I needed him, always going - as they say - the extra half mile. And just occasionally I was there for him, especially when pigeons or doves got stuck down his chimney - it was always a two man job to release them back to safety! We both enjoyed watching them fly off, disappearing, becoming a dot in the distance. A friend since schooldays, best man at my wedding - I still have the glass he nicked from the pub from which I had my last drink as a free man. As I say, my best mate, a true friend. All the best, hope all is well with you.

Poems are not ephemeral things. At best they travel heart to heart. Maybe they can also bring forth true communion, the deepest form of communication. The finger that points at the moon becomes the moon itself. Reading the various details of Dogen's life in 13th century Japan (a time of great turmoil and social change), of his travels to China, can illuminate his poems, tie them to moments of doubt, to moments of his own illuminations, in time and space. From Dogen's collection of poetry:- Attaining the heart Of the sutra, The sounds of the Bustling marketplace Preach the Dharma In my own Pure Land path of "no-calculation" the "marketplace" is the dojo (training ground), and everyone you meet is a "master". If not so, we can end up merely meeting ourselves, time and time again. Moving back "west'...... James Joyce writes in "Ulysses":- "God is a shout in the street" From one or two commentaries on the works of James Joyce:- Bloom (Leopold Bloom of Ulysses) is no perfect hero, but perfection is overrated. Give me a honest human being embracing their mundane humanity any day over a person striving after perfection". Joyce does not present us with the illusion of a perfect life in this book, a life without pain and sorrow, but in all his honesty Joyce shows us that life as it is and not as we think it should be is worth saying Yes to. The sorrows and difficulties faced in Ulysses are included in Joyce’s affirmation of life, because what good would such an affirmation be if it did not include all of life? Joyce offers a new litmus test for what we call the hero, not gigantic feats of strength, but small and simple feats of kindness. And finally:- An epiphany was not a miraculous dispensation from above but, as Joyce defined it, an insight into 'the soul of the commonest object' (Kevin Birmingham, from "The Most Dangerous Book: The Battle For James Joyce's Ulysses.") Simple feats and acts of kindness. So easy to miss, to become deaf and blind to.

The Blue Cliff Record is a collection of 100 zen koans. Pretty esoteric stuff for the unwary, like myself.... As well as the actual book, I also have a commentary on it, written by a couple of zen masters of yesteryear, this called "Secrets of the Blue Cliff Record". Each koan is called a case, and I have after quite a few years reached case 70 or so. I have to admit that most of the secrets the Blue Cliff Record holds remain secrets, at least to me. Which can be fairly disappointing, but then again, as Dogen says, "Where we do not understand, there is our understanding. Which takes a bit of understanding", but I think I'm getting there. So many seem to understand, presuming that they have it sussed. Not just zen koans, but anything else you care to mention. The meaning of life, the one true way, is there a God. You name it, they have the requisite understanding. But there is a rich potential in not knowing, in not understanding. I think that when we have it all sussed then we basically imprint our little selves and its concepts and its answers onto each and everything we see, read or touch. We can end up living in an echo chamber, hearing and seeing ourselves coming back at us - all of course commended by whatever God we believe in, who nods and says "Well done, your reward is waiting in the next life, my good and faithful servant." Well, maybe it is, but I seriously doubt it. Anyway, I waffle. Here is a tiny excerpt from one of the Blue Cliff Record's many cases:- One letter, seven letters, three or five letters, Investigating ten thousand things that are devoid of substance. In the depth of night, the bright moon sets on the dark sea— Seeking a single dragon’s jewel, I find one gem after another. Good stuff, hey? I'll leave that one with you. If you cannot afford the very high prices that such books cost then I would recommend a little tome which brings the Blue Cliff Record into the 21st Century (where it was before I wouldn't like to say) with a very upbeat commentary. It is by an Irish guy, Terrance Keenan, and includes some very good abstract art that illuminates the text. One "case" in Mr Keenan's book touches upon the ramblings found above. "Emperor Wu asks Bodhidharma". Emperor Wu asked Bodhidharma, “What is the first principle of the holy teaching?” Bodhidharma said, “Vast emptiness. Nothing holy therein.” Then he asked, “Who is this before me?” And Bodhidharma replied, “No knowing.” The emperor did not grasp his meaning. Thereupon Bodhidharma crossed the river to another kingdom. Again, make of that what you will. I'm sure that some text driven worthies, knowing nothing of the Living Word would soon be able to turn it into a New Religion and therefore, very soon, the Inquistion would follow, with the "true" followers and the heretics. Bodhidharma was the first Buddhist missionary to China. He went to see the emperor, who boasted to him of all his good deeds. "What merit have I earned" he asked Bodhidharma. "None at all" was the answer. I'm sure many Christians here would concur, with their "faith/grace, not works" mantras. Anyway, whatever, the sad thing about this story is that after Bodhidharma had moved on (possibly to stare at a wall for nine years as was his wont) the Emperor became desperate to call him back, to have a few more words. But alas, no. There was no second chance. Is there any moral to this story? Well, I've always loved the line from the late great Robbie Robertson song "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down":- Just take what you need and leave the rest What do you take from the story? Always remembering the very next line:- But they should never have taken the very best How do we ever really know what to take? That it is the best? Just thinking about all that I have written here, it is a good question. And really has no answer. I think Faith and belief are two totally different things. I think that this is the lesson here, at least for me. Faith lets go, while belief clings. I think we can feel "justified" by believing things. But that is not Grace. Well, it's New Years Eve and I'm in MacDonald's with a coffee and a chocolate milkshake. Really busy. Just to finish, another few words from Terrance Keenan's little book (very cheap on Kindle) Joshu spoke to the assembly, saying, “The real Way is not difficult. Just avoid choices and becoming attached. A single word can induce choice or attachment. A single word can bring clarity. I do not have that clarity.” A monk asked, “If you do not have that clarity, what do you appreciate?” Joshu replied, “I do not know that either.” “If you don’t know, how can you say you don’t have that clarity?” Joshu replied, “Asking the question was good enough. Now go.” Saigyo’s comment:- In the old city at the head of Grafton Street a busker plays his fiddle. First Brahms, then Bach and a little Paganini for fun. Fingers run up and down strings. Is it the vibrating air, his skill, or the old melodies that bring tears to my eyes? Tell me, I need to know. Do we need to know, or do we simply need to listen? Meister Eckhart:- Love has no why

Often the Buddha is recorded as saying that he taught "this and this alone, suffering and the end of suffering." He was silent on virtually all the metaphysical questions - the so called "silence of the Buddha". We all want answers, but you don't really get them in the Dharma. We have to find our own answers - even sometimes our very own questions. As I see it, most will simply answer the questions set by their own conditioning and indoctrination, and "believe" some answers - and make their peace. Is this the peace that passes understanding that the Bible speaks of? Way back I asked on Buddhist Forums:- "In what sense does suffering end"? I posted a small excerpt from a lapsed Buddhist (I think of the Tibetan variety) and he had spoken of the death of his mother, of how her death had left him with grief and a huge hole in his life. He said that he didn't want that hole filled with some "pseudo evolved transcendence of personal pain". He didn't even want the hole filled at all. At the time my own mum was sliding down into dementia and his words caught my heart. Well, from what I remember there were lots of answers. 100 Buddhists, 100 answers. Which has some sort of message - but I'm not sure what.....😀 Well, that was long ago and I have walked the path for quite some time. More a stumble than a strut - I'm fairly vulnerable. But as I see it, or have come to see it, most "answers" simply postpone the whole question to some other life, betraying this world for some perceived "other" beyond the grave, where rewards and compensations are handed out to the "elect" while the suffering is actually said to continue perpetually for many - if not for most. How does suffering end? There is a zen koan:- A clearly enlightened person falls into the well. How is this so? Thomas Merton once wrote:- We stumble and fall constantly, even when we are most enlightened. As for Dogen, he once said that the life of a zen master is "one mistake after another"....😄 In the end we always come back to where we started, yet always know it for the first time. moment by moment. If it is not the first time then we are caught in the past, in suffering. So what is the point? We must find our own point. A zen guy Pai-chang wrote:- The graduations of the language of the teachings—haughty, relaxed, rising, descending—are not the same. What are called desire and aversion when one is not yet enlightened or liberated are called enlightened wisdom after enlightenment. That is why it is said, “One is not different from who one used to be; only one’s course of action is different from before.” Only one's course of action is different from before. I think compassion for others can grow. In this the difference between samsara and nirvana can evaporate. It is the answer of the Buddha when he was asked why he continued to practice and meditate even though enlightened. He answered:- Out of compassion for the world "Love has no why" Meister Eckhart. No answers. No why.

Thanks Paul. Myself, a summary is simply something I cannot manage. All to do with the fact (to me) that final conclusions are not conducive to the living of what the Buddha called the "holy life." Possibly some would say Faith/Trust is a "final conclusion", the faith that all shall be well. I simply do not see it like that in the world of becoming. As I may have said elsewhere, at the moment I am well into Dogen (amid wife, daughters and grandchildren and drinking coffee in MacDonald's) In the swift march of ephemerality birth and death are vital concerns........Just by understanding that birth-death is itself nirvaṇa, one neither despises birth-death as a form of bondage nor pursues nirvaṇa as a goal. Only then will you be able to gain freedom from birth-death within the realm of birth-death. (Dogen, from "Tanahashi", Treasury of the True Dharma Eye) Happy New Year!

I have read about five translations of Dogen's "Genjokoan" (the actualisation of reality) They vary greatly. I have tracked down another translation of the excerpt from "Uji" (Being/Time) given in my first post. Here it is:- You reckon time only as something that does nothing but pass by. You do not understand it as something not yet arrived. Although our various understandings are time, there is no chance for them to be drawn in by time. There has never yet been anyone who supposed time to be coming and going who has penetrated to see it as being-time dwelling in its dharma-position. What chance is there, then, for a time to arrive when you will break through the barrier into total emancipation? Even if someone did know that dwelling-position, who would be able truly to give an utterance that preserved what he had thus gained? And even were someone able to utter such an utterance at will, he could still not avoid groping to make his original face immediately present. What are the implications of this? Do the two translations come to the very same thing? if so, what is this "thing"? Or are they two separate "things"? "We are what we understand" The Word as Text and the Living Word.

Having waffled in The Cafe, here is an excerpt from "Uji".... Do not think that time simply flies away. Do not understand “flying” as the only function of time. If time simply flew away, a separation would exist between you and time. So if you understand time as only passing, then you do not understand the time being. To grasp this truly, every being that exists in the entire world is linked together as moments in time, and at the same time they exist as individual moments of time. Because all moments are the time being, they are your time being. Dōgen Zenji, Uji I think of D.T.Suzuki who speaks of an eschatology of "the present moment". In the West, time is often understood in a completely linear way. Often we can simply end up living for tomorrow, a life then of anticipations and epitaphs. Never of the present - which is all moments.

The Christmas festivities over I find myself back in MacDonald's with a large white coffee. A little taste of paradise believe it or not. I am turning to Dogen and his writings, but as is said we can set the sails but must always wait for heaven's will. Dogen's actual writings are very dense, sometimes impenetrable, at least to me. And judging by the way different commentators see different things, well......what can you say? What Dogen himself said was "where you do not understand, there is your understanding." And given that he also said that "we are what we understand", you might begin to see the problem! Well, before I leap deeply into his Shōbōgenzō, "The Treasury of the True Dharma Eye" , I am reading a novel by Ruth Odeki called "A Tale For the Time Being". The title is a slight play on words of one of Dogen's essays/sermons, called "Uji" which means Being/Time. Time is being and being is time. Which when you throw in the idea that time is only the "visible" part of eternity, then you have much to ponder - if you like that sort of thing. Some don't. They are what they understand. They are satisfied with that, and perhaps like to call it "all truth"....... but no matter. The book by Ruth Odeki is very good. You realise as you read that the deep subtleties of Dogen's view of time is being presented, yet in story form, simply. Part of the story - it has many sides - is of a young Japanese student who gets called up by the army in WW2. And is trained to become a kamikaze pilot. The first thing he is taught though is how to use his rifle to kill himself. He laughs when he gets his call up papers, simply at the thought of himself as a warrior. He is the peaceful sort. Finally his mother receives his remains in a box sent by the Government, this after his kamikaze death dive. The box is of course empty (except for a few banal words from the Government) The emptiness of the box is pregnant with meaning, certainly if you are a Dharma follower. The emptiness holds all that the young man was in and through time. In a very deep way, he still lives. His love, his hopes, his dreams. His mother, after receiving the box, becomes a Buddhist nun. As an 103 year old she guides another young person, a girl, in ways that again explicate some of Dogen's teachings. The portions of the book written by this young girl are often the highlight. Very funny at times. Very candid. There is no soft sell. Well, my coffee is getting cold.

Hi Rom, you always were the argumentative one! 😀

Thanks Paul Yes, it is always and ever US. Never "others" or "them" Or as one wag once said:- There are two types of people in the world - those that divide the world into two kinds of people and those who don't. Happy Christmas!