Films/Books

Zen – The Movie

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Zen tells the story, the film version anyway, of Dogen Zenji. I watched it several times while in the US last summer. It is worth a watch. I understand it’s been hard to find copies so I’m glad to point you to a site where Zen, the movie, can be bought.

Zen is an elegant and fascinating look into the life and times of 13th-century monk Dogen, founder of the Soto sect in Zen Buddhism. Offering a fairly faithful depiction of what is known of the monk’s life, the film follows Dogen, handsomely portrayed by kabuki actor Nakamura Kantaro, from an orphan child inspired by his mother’s dying words to a young monk wandering in China where he experiences his awakening. After reaching enlightenment, he returns to Kyoto to spread his teachings of silent meditation, attracting both dedicated followers and fierce detractors who cast him as a heretic. In his travels and teachings, Dogen encounters many different people. Some guide him, some follow him, and some test him, but all become crucial figures in his spiritual journey of peace and meditation.

Thanks go to Rod in Canada for the link.

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Daily Life, Teachings

With Confidence – Speak!

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If they could speak what stories they might tell. Confidences on sunny day walks. Tears and laughter – children playing – adults booted and gloved, gossiping. Soft clouds of vapour issuing forth on a chilly afternoon. Words harsh, whispers and shouts enter alike the walls ancient ear.
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Moss holding a secret spoken in confidence, last century perhaps. Don’t breath a word of this, she whispered. And the moss grew in a spiral and the wall remained still. And silent.
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If walls had eyes! Peeping out through elegant moss-lashes. Watching the passing by. Fashions change. Sheep and cows have been ever thus. But we know walls don’t have eyes. Right?
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On the field side, unconcerned. Indifferent sheep feed. What they say is anybodies guess! The wall has heard it all before…many times.
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At the end of the day what’s the message in this whimsy post? Well I have been thinking lots about confidence, and confidences and confidentiality. All linked together. And in the end my thoughts on this subject tend to alight on two old fashioned words, honour and respect. Here is my favorite quote on the matter.

‘Respect for others begins by not ignoring their words.’
Elias Canneti
From: ‘The Torch in My Ear’

And I continue that quote thus;

Honour others by not repeating their words. Thoughtlessly.

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Out and About

High Impact – Not A Scratch

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A reader in Canada, who manages a team of truck drivers many of whom are British, wrote me this in an email.

The weather continues to be bad, last night in Northern Ontario one of my trucks was in an accident that amazingly had no fatalities, or even any injuries! He was proceeding up a hill on the highway and another truck was coming down the hill, in the other direction. Just as they were passing each other, going in opposite directions, the other trucks trailer jackknifed out right in front of my driver and he and his truck went right through it! Remarkably, considering the force of the impact was enough to shear the engine out of my drivers unit out onto the highway and send both front wheels into opposite directions into the woods on either side, he came out without a scratch.

Accidents do happen and with no apparent fault on anybodies part. And thankfully sometimes they come out like this one. No scratches.

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Snow mounding up in an Edmonton parking lot.

This story is here to remind us that while spring might be just around the corner (several corners) there is still the possibility of snow. I’ve no inside information however my Girl Guide motto remains with me. Be Prepared! And quoting the captain (I think it was him) in Hill Street Blues, Be careful out there!

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