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TOKUSANS’S THIRTY BLOWS 正法眼蔵 三十一
If I come before the teacherhe will give me thirty blows.If I do not come before the teacherhe will give me thirty blows.It is the same for everyone,his arms never grow tiredbut if I never see my teacher,I give him thirty blowsand my arms are suddenly heavy. A reflection on Case 31 of Dogen’s Shobogenzo…
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NOT YET
The man walked into the old dinerlooking not at all happy,dressed in what looked likea white robe he found in some alley. He ordered coffee and glancedaround, as if seeking onefamiliar face, finding manythat looked like that of his father, like him,for that matter, and he knewfrom this quick glance thatthey were not yet ready,…
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FUKE’S BELL SONG 正法眼蔵 二十二
Follow the old fellowwalking over there, hewho cannot seebecause it is too bright,who cannot seebecause it is too darkwho cannot seeabove himself, belowbehind or beside,but traverses the pathwith an unerring foot. A reflection on Case 22 of Dogen’s Shobogenzo Koans (True Dharma Eye)
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NANSEN AND THE LAND DEITY 鐵笛倒吹 十八
When you comeinto this townwe know you are coming,when you enterthis room weknow you will arrive.It is only whenwe cannot discernyour presencethat your spirithas truly arrived.Contemplate thisover a bowl of riceshared with mountainand wind. A reflection on Case 18 of Dogen’s Shobogenzo Koans (True Dharma Eye)
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THIS LAND (IS) WAS MY LAND
I would very much liketo look down from above,unseen by those below,in my country, see the turmoilroiling so many, the linesformed at borders, a queuefor those deemed less valuable,and I wonder where in the linemy ancestors would bewere they still alive.I wonder what lifewould be like if Iwas born in Lithuaniaor if my parents never…
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ZHAOZHOU’S “LOSING THE MIND IN CONFUSION”
Be forewarnedthe greatest wisdomis written on wateron a cloud –the sun reads it clearlyso why are youso blind to it? A blind man will notbe mislead by signsa deaf man cannotfall victimto the siren’s song. A reflection on Case 11 of the Shobogenzo Koans (Dogen’s True Dharma Eye)
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QINGYUAN’S “COME CLOSER”
Walk slowlythrough this bramble of words.Do not allow yourselfto become tangled in themthough they will certainly try.Tear out this pageburn it for faint warmthor steep it into tea,reduce it to simple fibers.Then it will bea poemof some small worth. A reflection on Case 10 of the Shobogenzo Koans (Dogen’s True Dharma Eye)
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INSTRUCTIONS TO MY ENGLISH LIT CLASS
First, read the syllabusand buy the books we will read.Note that I have carefully selectedworks for which there are no Cliff Notesor their equivalent, so if you werecounting on that consider yourself screwed. When you write an essay, do not ever,let me emphasize EVER, begin by sayingin my opinion, for if I wantedan opinion on…
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ENDGAME
He knew it was timeto call it a career whenthey handed him the listof what he could not say,what terms were verbotten,what topics were off limits. Once upon a time he watchedthe fight over textbooks,how they approached sensitivesubjects like race, war, equality,but he could teach aroundwhatever strictures theywould ignorantly impose. But now whole topics,entire aspects…
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SEARCHING
I never imagined thatthe search would take so longor be so difficult. I never imaginedI had set off seekingthe Holy Grail. It once was easyI recalled, little searchingand plentiful enough. Now, hours spentactually wasted, I concededthat it was futile and went back deepinto time to bring forthwhat I never imagined would be so hardto find,…
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an old writer and his words 