We begin a new chapter, ending at the bottom of p. 74 (right before the Dr. Hee-jin Kim quote).
These pages are something of a review of what we have examined so far, namely Dogen's Mahayana Wisdom that, for example:
- One act, thing or moment is the only act thing or moment in that place and time, yet also fully embodies EVERY act, thing and moment, present past or future, near or far, in all reality ... everything permeates everything ... every tiny drop fully embodies the wholeness of the whole ...
- Any act, thing or moment is itself a shining jewel, perfectly what it is even if perfectly a flawed act, thing or moment ... (even so, despite seeing the flaws as perfectly what they are, as perfectly flawed flaws, don't forget that we also seek to polish the jewel as we can, seeking to better the flaws which we can) ...
- We sit at the pivot point of the hour glass of time, as the past becomes the future. It is up to us to do our best for the future. As well, when experienced as wholeness of the whole hour glass, there is also something timeless about the whole even as time appears to flow within ... and every moment that is a passing grain of sand fully contains all the other grains of sand as well as the whole hour glass!
So, just as a review, take a sentence about any thing, person or moment in life (you can choose, but make it about something you did not use in earlier chapters). Rewrite the sentence as a short paragraph playing "Dogen-like" word games and bending grammar, much as we have done in earlier chapters, to capture the above viewpoints "this one is all things and everything, holds everything and all things, all time and timeless, while being a shining jewel, even with the flaws and even as we seek to polish for the better."
For example, take a simple scene and sentence (such as "The cat sleeps near the fire") and then, taking the imagery of ("cat" "sleeps" "near" "fire") run wild for a few sentences demonstrating the above perspectives.
Don't look at what others have done until you post your own.
Remember that there are no grades, and everyone's paragraph will be a "shining jewel," flaws and all!
Gassho, J
STLah
These pages are something of a review of what we have examined so far, namely Dogen's Mahayana Wisdom that, for example:
- One act, thing or moment is the only act thing or moment in that place and time, yet also fully embodies EVERY act, thing and moment, present past or future, near or far, in all reality ... everything permeates everything ... every tiny drop fully embodies the wholeness of the whole ...
- Any act, thing or moment is itself a shining jewel, perfectly what it is even if perfectly a flawed act, thing or moment ... (even so, despite seeing the flaws as perfectly what they are, as perfectly flawed flaws, don't forget that we also seek to polish the jewel as we can, seeking to better the flaws which we can) ...
- We sit at the pivot point of the hour glass of time, as the past becomes the future. It is up to us to do our best for the future. As well, when experienced as wholeness of the whole hour glass, there is also something timeless about the whole even as time appears to flow within ... and every moment that is a passing grain of sand fully contains all the other grains of sand as well as the whole hour glass!
So, just as a review, take a sentence about any thing, person or moment in life (you can choose, but make it about something you did not use in earlier chapters). Rewrite the sentence as a short paragraph playing "Dogen-like" word games and bending grammar, much as we have done in earlier chapters, to capture the above viewpoints "this one is all things and everything, holds everything and all things, all time and timeless, while being a shining jewel, even with the flaws and even as we seek to polish for the better."
For example, take a simple scene and sentence (such as "The cat sleeps near the fire") and then, taking the imagery of ("cat" "sleeps" "near" "fire") run wild for a few sentences demonstrating the above perspectives.
Don't look at what others have done until you post your own.
Remember that there are no grades, and everyone's paragraph will be a "shining jewel," flaws and all!
Gassho, J
STLah
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