As you will now have realized the daily contemplations of the past week or more were part of a poem by Ryokan. However, a couple of lines published each day did seem to work quite well as separate posts to contemplate. I hope they worked for you too.
I cut right back on my ‘screen time’ during our retreat here at Throssel but I did check emails to make sure nobody needed to be in touch urgently. Each day I saw the Jade post come into my inbox and decided to contemplate along with all of you. Firstly the images were stupendous I thought. Over the next days, I will revisit some of the posts and see what I come up with in response.
Ancient sages left their works behind, not to let us know
About themselves, but to help us understand our own stamp.
Had we wisdom deep enough to know ourselves, single-handed,
No benefits would result from the works of ancient saints.
A wise person learns the mystery of existence in a flash
And climbs in a leap beyond the world of hollow phenomena,
Whereas a foolish person holds willfully to facts and details,
To drown in subtle differences of words and lines,
And being envious of others in their supreme achievements,
Wastes the mind night and day in efforts to exceed,
Truth, if you cleave to it as truth, turns into falsehood.
Falsehood, when you see it as such, becomes at once truth.
Truth and falsehood are the mated edges of a double sword.
None alive can separate with certainty one from the other.
Alas, too many people drift with the skiff to fathom the sea.
From time immemorial they are causes of endless deception.
From Songs of Ryokan, Chinese Poems #103
Many thanks to Mark Rowan for these wonderful macro images of Tulips.
