SECOND ASSIGNMENT
Hmmm. I am surprised that folks struggled with this exercise so much. I am going to give another try. It is a bit "paint by numbers" Dogen, but the point is to get a sense of his style. See if the following helps:
Here is another parable from the Lotus Sutra, The Apparitional City:
The above is a tale of Expedient Means, explaining how the Buddha made certain early Teachings promising rewards that are like treasures held before peoples' eyes so that they will not give up the path.
Now, here are some elements of this story:
"desolated, fearful place"
"dangerous road"
"reach a place"
"great treasure"
"wise leader"
"passable and impassable parts"
"far from our destination"
"magically creates"
"a great city"
"enter the city"
"free of the evil road"
"Do not turn back!"
"the city vanishes"
"comfortable and at ease"
"The Leader realizes"
Now, here is the passage about the Great Flying Stupa from the Lotus Sutra in my book, with key words removed. Plug some (you need not use all, just as many as sounds good) of the above elements into the sentence structure. It is not a puzzle to find the right place for each, but rather, they should just have interesting sounds in juxtaposition and provocative relationships to each other:
The Original:
Please give "Paint By Numbers Shobogenzo" a try!
Gassho, Jundo
STLah
PS - And, yes, this reminds me of "mad libs," for anyone who remembers the kids' game. However, please don't do what I did when 11 years old, and put dirty words in all the blanks!
Hmmm. I am surprised that folks struggled with this exercise so much. I am going to give another try. It is a bit "paint by numbers" Dogen, but the point is to get a sense of his style. See if the following helps:
Here is another parable from the Lotus Sutra, The Apparitional City:
The above is a tale of Expedient Means, explaining how the Buddha made certain early Teachings promising rewards that are like treasures held before peoples' eyes so that they will not give up the path.
Now, here are some elements of this story:
"desolated, fearful place"
"dangerous road"
"reach a place"
"great treasure"
"wise leader"
"passable and impassable parts"
"far from our destination"
"magically creates"
"a great city"
"enter the city"
"free of the evil road"
"Do not turn back!"
"the city vanishes"
"comfortable and at ease"
"The Leader realizes"
Now, here is the passage about the Great Flying Stupa from the Lotus Sutra in my book, with key words removed. Plug some (you need not use all, just as many as sounds good) of the above elements into the sentence structure. It is not a puzzle to find the right place for each, but rather, they should just have interesting sounds in juxtaposition and provocative relationships to each other:
The Original:
Please give "Paint By Numbers Shobogenzo" a try!
Gassho, Jundo
STLah
PS - And, yes, this reminds me of "mad libs," for anyone who remembers the kids' game. However, please don't do what I did when 11 years old, and put dirty words in all the blanks!
"[Dogen says:] There is the (dangerous road) in the (great treasure) which is a (wise leader). There is the (great city) whose breadth is "five hundred yojanas". There is a (desolated, fearful place) by (a dangerous road), whereby (a wise leader) is (a great city) and (a great treasure) is (free of the evil road). There is (the desolated, fearful place) which is (a great city). (The great city) is (far from our destination) and the (wise leader) is on (the dangerous road). (The dangerous road) is a (great treasure) and (the great city) opens (passable and impassable parts) for the (wise leader). The (wise leader) does (reach a place) with (the great treasure). When the (great treasure) experiences this state of (freedom from the evil road), he also enters into the state of (wise leader).
This "(great city)" "(wise leader)" and "(great treasure)" are not limited to (a great city); they are simply "non-thinking".Gassho,
SatLah
-Kelly
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