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ERGO COGITO
She says she is certain she exists, much as she is certain he exists as well. He says, she thinks she exists, thinks he does as well. Descartes, he says, was…
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TRICKSTER
He imagines what it might be like to come down out of the foothills and roam the mesa, unseen unless he wishes, a complete freedom. And even if he chooses to be seen, he can take whatever shape he wishes, and they would see him only as he chose, for only as long as he…
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ARDEIDAE MORNING
He stands still staring at the ever changing surface of the pond, which he knows holds infinite possibility that he does not wish to disturb, lest the moment be forever lost. Nothing else matters to him as he calmly, and ever so slowly, lifts his leg in tree pose, and reaches out with unfurled wings…
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TIME
There is never sufficient time no matter how I adjust the clocks, he said with a profound sadness. What, she said, would happen if you did not consult the clocks, would there be time enough then? But how would I know if there were time enough without clocks, he replied. The cat watched this scene,…
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TE SHAN CARRYING HIS BUNDLE
Enter the room slowly and look carefully, since you are here to find something. There is much within this room, but you can see nothing save the old man, sitting calmly, staring at nothing, staring through you at nothing in particular. You know he is the teacher, the one for whom you have been searching,…
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JOSHU’S FOUR GATES 正法眼蔵 四十六
If you ask me who I am, I will have you close your eyes and walk behind you, or I may step to your left and take your right hand. If you are perplexed, I will ask you: do the four gates open into the city or out to the world beyond, and if I…
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FINDING A DIAMOND 沙石集 二
There are endless paths on which to walk, yet we find one and remain on it even when it becomes rocky and rutted. We do not see the road, nor those who cross it, watching only our feet. It is only when we step off of the cliff that our feet are free to walk…
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Q AND A: SOMEWHERE
Somewhere deep within complete uncertainty lies the answer to the question we are reluctant or unwilling to ask. The only problem is that in peeling back the fear and trepidation we risk reopening wounds we have long forgotten, that are scarred over. Is it the answer we fear or the question, or the inability to…
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HYAKUJO’S SECOND VISIT 正法眼蔵 語十四
You may come asking questions, and perhaps the teacher will answer you with a discourse. If you go deaf and hear nothing, if the words flit like so many mayflies just as soon gone, if no word finds purchase, you will have grasped the heart of the Dharma. A reflection on case 54 of the…
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THE MESSENGER TIRES
He says, in a quiet aside he hopes no one will overhear, that he has grown tired of being an angel. And not for the reason we might think, he adds with a wry smile. The work is not all that difficult, in fact there seems to be less of it week by week, but…
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an old writer and his words 