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PURE DHARMA BODY 正法眼蔵 二十六
Standing at the foot of the mountain what side do you see. Standing atop the mountain what side to you not see. Close your eyes and you will see the mountain has no sides. Close your eyes and you will find there is no mountain. A reflection on case 36 of the Dogen’s Shobogenzo
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REFLECTING ON THE HARBOR
On the anniversary of the start of a war one feels almost compelled to speak to its horrors, its cause, its effect. But we live in an age where wars are plentiful, when peace is the exception and war seems to loom around every corner. So on this anniversary I watch the snowy egret stare…
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CHU TI’S ONE-FINGER CH’AN
When you believe you have found your teacher, ask him a question. If he gives you an answer, be certain that he is not your teacher. But if he holds up just a single finger, will you pause in false anticipation, or do you gaze at his raised finger and carefully consider the answer. A…
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LUNA REFLECTS
Tonight the moon will gnaw away at the stars, consuming them much as the beaver consumes trees to build a proper home. We will stare at the moon, marvel at its size, at its brightness, wonder why we never noticed it like this before, realize it is because we are so young, that our memory…
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PLACES
My mother, the goddess of cliches, was overly fond of repeating that “There’s a place for everything, and everything should be in its place.” I must admit that, in addition to hating her cliches and platitudes, I grew ever less certain of my place in her world. She was more than willing to assume my…
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FOR RENE
What is inconceivable about the universe is that it should be at all conceivable. — A. Einstein Cogito dice clatter against a corner of the universe, rolling the bones of a thousand generations ergo one slides into the black hole void a loser next player to the line sum boxcars stacked as cordwood the snake…
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HSIANG LIN’S MEANING OF THE COMING FROM THE WEST
You are certain the key is to sit, for that is what your teacher has told you, that is the practice set out for you. When you feel you have not attained your goal on the path, you assume it is because you have not sat still enough, long enough, deeply enough. A wise sage…
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A SIMPLE QUESTION
A woman walks up to me and asks, “can you juggle the salt and pepper shakers?” but I know what she really wants is for me to bind her wounds and drag the sun quickly from the horizon. I pick up two apples and a plum but the plum falls to the floor and rolls…
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SEOUL
Thursday night, and Planet Hollywood in Seoul is dead, more smiling staff than diners, the bar a well polished wasteland, no lines in the gift shop, the Penguin mask staring out over the almost empty dining room. As we leave, having consumed half a bottle of soju between us to the blare of the endless videos,…
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PERCEPTION
The sweep of the second hand, the minute hand is constant, each moment as long as the last, none longer, none shorter and yet I know that Einstein was right in noting that things unpleasant take forever, while all that is joyful passes quickly, even when the elapsed time is the same. What Albert didn’t…
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an old writer and his words 