Take care not to:
talk gratuitously
talk with your hands
talk about worldly affairs
My Precepts, from Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf, Zen Master Ryokan
Pearls of Wisdom 2
Hidden Treasure – Pearls of Wisdom
About a week ago, on a whim, I took photos of all the sheds in the monastery, all thirteen of them. There is something about sheds that I like. They don’t look much from the outside however they hold infinite treasure within. Perhaps a bit like you and me, when our interior is viewed with enlightened eyes.
Along with those lines from Zen Master Ryokans poem My Precepts, I’ll post photos of the sheds. As with the pictures I published in May, please do not linger over long on trying to draw out some deep spiritual meaning to my linking particular photos to the text. Not worth loosing sleep over believe me.
Pearls of Wisdom 1
Take care not to:
talk too much
talk too fast
talk without being asked to
My Precepts from Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf, Zen Master Ryokan
Wise Speech
In Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf, Zen Poems of Ryokan I came across an entry titled My Precepts.
Zen Master Ryokan lists around forty points to remember about right speech. Such points as, not speak of things of which you have no knowledge and not to use sugary speech. The whole list contains good reminders, which I’ll be keeping in mind during this coming week.
When and if I have the time I’ll write down the list in instalments, for readers to contemplate each day.
Spider in the Works
Yesterday was vac consciousness raising and moving day, with the last one lugged up the lane and repositioned well after dark.
I oversee all of the vacuum cleaners in the monastery, a voluntary position I should add. It’s a fairly benign task, taken on face value, which involves keeping them in reasonable fettle and with adequate spare dust bags to hand. Occasionally, as happened yesterday, a number of the machines need to be re-deployed. This occurs for a number of complex and intimately interconnected reasons, often involving the humans who drive them.
Today I passed a vacuum cleaner outside of its cupboard with no sign of its hose and power head. A small wave of concern flushed over me. Just why is it out? What’s wrong with it? Where’s the rest of it? It just shows how involved one can become with these critters, or any other thing for that matter.
Returning to the corridor after the evening meal I was slightly bemused to find a note of explanation fixed to the lone machine. SPIDER INSIDE (Hopefully making its way out!) Thank you.