Today, we will read the first 10 pages of Chapter 9 (stopping just before the section "The Moon As The Self.")
Often, in Zen, the moon represent emptiness or Buddha or reality, and the reflection of the moon in the water is judged a poor copy, an illusion, a false dream.
There is the famous expression that "words are just the finger pointing at the moon."
But Dogen had a bit different vision, and saw the moon in the water, shining in all things, in each dew drop or ripple, as the moon itself fully contained and expressed in each and all of the things of the world.
The finger is not merely pointing at the moon, but the moon is pointing at the finger, and shining brightly in each word and fingertip! As well, it is not a stagnant thing, but is all the movement of the world, like the changing ripples of the water, all that can be expressed, every action of a hand in human life.
Of course, when we realize this fact, the things, words and actions are not perceived or done in quite the same way as before this truth is know.
I believe that sums up more or less what Okumura Roshi is pointing too in this week's pages.
Gassho, J
STLah
PS - Dedicated to all our friends in Italy, where "the moon in the water" is storming a bit these days.
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