The Zen Master's Dance - 3 - How To Read Dogen (p. 12 to end of 'How to Read Dogen')

[Seishin]

And so it is, all is one. _/\_

Sat

[Gareth]

A beard brush, and a cloud.

In our ordinary experience of life, a beard brush is not a cloud, and neither a beard brush nor a cloud are you or me. A is not B, and neither one is C nor D. However, beard brushes are beard brushes and also clouds. A small dry beard brush holds giant clouds within, as well as the whole world and all of time. Clouds brush our hair, and clouds even cut our hair. The cloud and the whole universe is truly held in every bristle of a beard brush, as well as the hand holding it. The beard brush, though held in a hand, is also huge, boundless like the universe. It also brushes the universe, and it is brushed by the cloud.

Gassho,
Gareth
Sat today, Lah

[Jundo]

A beard brush, and a cloud.

In our ordinary experience of life, a beard brush is not a cloud, and neither a beard brush nor a cloud are you or me. A is not B, and neither one is C nor D. However, beard brushes are beard brushes and also clouds. A small dry beard brush holds giant clouds within, as well as the whole world and all of time. Clouds brush our hair, and clouds even cut our hair. The cloud and the whole universe is truly held in every bristle of a beard brush, as well as the hand holding it. The beard brush, though held in a hand, is also huge, boundless like the universe. It also brushes the universe, and it is brushed by the cloud.

Gassho,
Gareth
Sat today, Lah

[Gregor]

A hole in the ground is not a bucket of sand nor is a bucket of sand a hole in the ground but for Mahayana teachers like Dogen a bucket of sand is a hole in the ground and the hole in the ground is a bucket of sand. Sand can fill a hole and bucket can be filled from a hole. Yet the bucket holds the entire hole and the sand fills the bucket.

Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk

[Jundo]

A hole in the ground is not a bucket of sand nor is a bucket of sand a hole in the ground but for Mahayana teachers like Dogen a bucket of sand is a hole in the ground and the hole in the ground is a bucket of sand. Sand can fill a hole and bucket can be filled from a hole. Yet the bucket holds the entire hole and the sand fills the bucket.

Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk

Short, and not two bad, yet somehow still a bit too logical. You are still describing some things that have a logical relationship, like hole, sand from hole, empty bucket.

Let's wild it up a little ...

How about rewrite it with "bucket of sand" and "bird wing."

Give it a go ...

Gassho, J

[Gregor]

Another short attempt:

A bucket of sand is not a bird's wing nor a bird's wing made of sand. One is one and two is two, neither is 3 or 4.

We witness in duality in our everyday lives but grasping reality we see that two contains one and four consists of three and one.

Bird wings are buckets of Sand and a bucket of sand is a bird's wing.

Children build sand castles from feathers and birds pierce the sky on wings of sand.


Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk

[Jundo]

Another short attempt:

A bucket of sand is not a bird's wing nor a bird's wing made of sand. One is one and two is two, neither is 3 or 4.

We witness in duality in our everyday lives but grasping reality we see that two contains one and four consists of three and one.

Bird wings are buckets of Sand and a bucket of sand is a bird's wing.

Children build sand castles from feathers and birds pierce the sky on wings of sand.


Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk

You are startin to get the hang of this ...

Gassho, J

STLah

[Gregor]

You are startin to get the hang of this ...

Gassho, J

STLah

Thank you for helping me find the way.

Gassho,

Greg
ST

Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk

[Chikyou]

As I was looking around my yard for inspiration, a neighbor's car alarm started going off... so here goes!

"In the ordinary experience of life, a peaceful garden is not a car alarm, a car alarm is not a peaceful garden. Neither a car alarm nor a peaceful garden are you or me. However, for Mahayana teachers like Dogen, car alarms are car alarms and also peaceful gardens. Car alarms hold peaceful gardens within, as well as the whole world and all of time. Peaceful gardens startle us from slumber. Peaceful gardens rattle our bones. The wind in the trees and the song of the birds of the garden are voices of you and me. It is not merely that ordinary ears might hear the screech of a car alarm in the call of a blue jay, but that the jay and the wind and the whole universe are called out in the sound of the car alarm. The whole universe is a great song which is the song of the bird, the wind chime, the alarm.

When we hear the car alarm, it enters our ears and we feel it in our bones and it merges with our body, we too enter the sound, are heard by it and merge with it. Likewise, in hearing the alarm we enter the peaceful garden and the whole universe. The alarm hears us as we hear the alarm, the garden hears us as we hear the garden - all in the simple action of hearing a car alarm. The bird of the garden sings all time and space as you sing with the bird, the garden enters the universe as you enter the garden. Each song of the bird, each flower of the garden and each screech of the alarm shimmers unique as a precious jewel, each unique and whole unto itself, yet each is also the universe."

Gassho,
Sat

-Kelly

[Jundo]

[Chikyou]

Gassho,
Sat

-Kelly