Category Archives: Teachings

Answering The Call

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It’s the twenty first of January and the anniversary of my late Master’s monastic ordination. That was back in 1962. What better time to get back at it and start posting regularly again. This was an expression she often used to informally signal a gear shift. Community tea to work. Informal get-together to…work. Getting back at it was basically the same as get on with the next thing. What is the next thing?

When I think about it get back at it is fundamental to how we function within this tradition. Do the work that comes to you is the guiding principal. And one can drive a bus load of confusion through that phrase, however taken simply and directly, this means…get back at it. All day every day switching gears happens almost imperceptibly and in there is a sort of call and corresponding response.

Thank you to those who have been asking after my health. Even though I’m still limping along on borrowed computers I can say, with reasonable confidence, that I’m now back on my feet. And dare I say it again, back at it!

And a special thank you to the two monks who brought springtime to my room, pictured here. They too have monastic anniversaries today. Congratulations.

Coughing

Somewhere in The Threefold Lotus Sutra the gathered multitudes all simultaneous cough and snap their fingers thus signifying that they speak the One Truth and will, I’m presuming, all teach it.

I had to smile when I read about the collective cough. Made me feel so much better about my bouts of mad coughing that well up from nowhere, go on and on and then leave me exhausted. Dignified affirmation of the One Truth? I think not! Sorry for myself? No. Just embarrassed about the explosions!

I’m reading the Threefold Lotus Sutra, Kosei Publishing Co. Japan. It’s a deeply significant work within this tradition with segments of the text used in our ceremonies.

Rending Verse

This evening we watched a documentary about William Owen, the First World War poet. Who was William Owen? According to the documentary he seems to have changed the course of war poetry, and poetry in general. That largely came about through his meeting and friendship with Siegfried Sassoon, a poet I read in the 1960’s.

Here is Owen’s Dulce Et Decorum Est bringing our eye-ear-nose-tongue-body-mind to join with his, in the trenches.

For those who know the Scripture of Great Wisdom (The Heart Sutra) the no eye, ear, nose etc. is pointing out no separate eye, ear etc.

Rent – ripped apart.

…and on the deepest level, there is that which cannot be rent.

Aspire To Play

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This water colour is by one of the monks, inspired by a ceiling painting in the Dunhuan caves. Interestingly enough the flying being is called an aspara. I’d like to think that she/he are there to help bring about an aspiration to play. In fact I’ve been pondering on the subject of play. That’s the merits of, the necessity of, the simple good fun of and above all, the release that play brings about. I’m talking about the spirit of play one sees in children and animals and sometimes in adults.

A thought I have of play, or image more like, is of a mumma Grizzly Bear seen in Montana sliding down a mountains side on her back with her cub on her belly. …and then climbing back up and doing it all over again, and again and again! And another image of a grizzly, not so into extreme sports, spotted on her back with front claws entwined with back claws, rocky back and forth, back and forth. Perhaps her teenage cub watched on thinking, Dah?

The above events were described in True Grizz by Doug Chadwick. An engaging book about Grizzly Bears in and around Glacial National Park, Montana.

Postings may be a bit patchy for a few days.