The Zen Master's Dance - 26 - One Bright Pearl (Middle of p. 103 to End of Chapter)

[Jundo]

Dear Pearl Poets,

In these pages, Master Dogen grabs his jazzy horn to express how One Bright Pearl is everything, all things, even our sometime falling down and ignorance of the Pearl.

I would like you to write something similar using modern images, cultural references and idioms of your own invention (don't worry, you will not be graded. Each poem will be a pearl, no matter how terrible or great it is. )

For example ...

Passage One: Expressing how the Pearl is all times, each moment and every time, which is all each other too, and all things too.
.

“The one pearl” must be the ten thousand
years. When the onward stretching past has not yet
departed, the onward stretching present is now arriving.
The body is here now and the mind is here now, and this is
the bright pearl. It is not just grass and trees here and there,
nor mountains and rivers of heaven and earth, but it is the
bright pearl.

I will take baseball as my modern image (and you, please, take something very different):
.

“The one baseball” must be the whole game, every inning, pitch, hit and catch.
When the third inning runner is first getting to first, the ninth inning runner is already home.
The players are here now, the the play is here now, and this is the one bright ball.
It is not just grass and lines here and there, nor mitts and hotdogs in the outfield or out in the stands,
but it is the one bright baseball.

Now, your passage, like mine, does not need to be an exact match for what Dogen said, but it must have the same feel, and express these truths from various angles. In other words, it must be "in the same ballpark" as Dogen's.

Passage Two: This is everything, even our ignorance and errors. This is everything, found in every inch and atom and moment.

(You can continue to play with the same modern image you chose above, or chose other modern images, saying, puns, etc.)
.

[The student said], “How should I understand
this [statement that the whole world is one pearl]?” Even
though this seems to be a declaration of the monk’s pleading
ignorance and deluded karmic consciousness, it is also
a clear manifestation of the great function right here.
Stepping forward, one suddenly encounters that one foot
of water is one foot of wave, that a yard of pearl is a yard of brightness. ...

... We might tell him, “This is just the robber riding the robber’s horse to chase the robber.
An ancient Buddha, preaching to you, goes among the varied kinds of beings.” ...

How many are there of this “What use is understanding?”
You might say, “Seven milk cakes and five herb cakes,” or that
“There is preaching south of the River Xiang and north of the River Tan.”

Passage Three: This is all opposites, yet also transcends all opposites too. As each situation or thing, it is precisely that situation and thing.
.

Know that the sun face and moon face have not changed
places since ages past. The sun’s face emerges together
with the sun’s face, the moon’s face emerges together with
the moon’s face. Thus, it was said [quoting master Yaoshan
Weiyan], “Even if I say that it is the sixth month, the hottest
time of the summer, it is not possible to say that my
nature is hot.” Thus, this timeless bright pearl is boundless,
and all the universe in all directions is one bright pearl, not two pearls or three. ...

... Just at this present moment, the bright pearl hangs suspended
in space, is sewn into your robe, is kept under a
dragon’s chin or tied in a topknot. ... If to be sewn inside a robe is its situation,
do not try to hang it outside the robe. If to be tied inside a topknot or held under
a chin is its situation, do not try to play with it outside the topknot or chin.

Gassho, J
stlah

[Koriki]

1
The Rush song ends at the same time it begins.
While the song is very long, it is also short and beyond time.
Three musicians are one and the one are all musicians and all things.
While the band is no longer it also continues to play.

2
Jundo said, “How should I understand
that this the whole world is Rush?” Even
though this seems to be a declaration of the monk’s pleading
ignorance and deluded karmic consciousness, it is also
a clear manifestation of the great function right here.
Stepping forward, one suddenly encounters that one foot
of water is one foot of wave, that a yard of pearl is a yard of
brightness. ...

... We might tell him, “This is just the Rush tribute band stealing Rush's instruments to be Rush.
An ancient Buddha, preaching to you, goes among the varied kinds of beings.” ...

How many are there of this “What use is understanding?”
You might say, “Moving Pictures hits and album length songs,” or that
“There is preaching in Xanadu and the Temple of Syrinx.”

3

Know that Geddy Lee's face and Neil Peart's face have not changed places since ages past. Geddy's face emerges together with Geddy's face, and Neil's face emerges together with Neil's face. Thus it was said, "Even as La Villa Strangiato is very complex, it is not possible to say that my nature is complex." Thus, this timeless Rush is boundless,
and all the universe in all directions is Rush, not two Rushes or three.

... Just at this present moment, Rush hangs suspended
in space, is an earworm in your brain, is kept under a
dragon’s chin or put on a turntable. ... If to be an earworm is its situation,
do not try to silence the song. If to be put on a turntable or held under
a chin is its situation, do not try to listen to it off of the turntable.

Gassho,
Koriki
s@lah

[Jundo]

[Furyu]

(1)
This roll of packing tape is unending. Before it has been rolled out, it has already wrapped everything and as it is being stretched out around everything it has already reached the end of the unending everything. All things are always contained within its reach and it holds all things every moment just as they are. There are not just boxes and envelopes stacked everywhere, and glue and plastic and cardboard holding things together. It is all the unending roll of packing tape.
(2)
Fūryū said, “How should I understand this thing about the unending roll of packing tape?” As Fūryū's words come out of his head and cling to him like the packing tape that is rolling out of his mouth, he gets mired in the sticky mess. The tape says, “You’re a sticky mess, now!” Fūryū says, “Well, that’s a fact!” And it looks like poor Fūryū is just entangled in his sticky mind but that is also the moment of getting out of the mind and seeing the whole unending roll right there.

You might tell him “It’s like hanging the sticky wallpaper and asking where the wall went. What use is understanding ?”

How many of this “What use is understanding” are there? You could say “half a dozen of one and six of the other” or “look up if you know where up is” or even “the oxcart has fallen off its horse”.
(3)
Know that the sweet and the sour have never been anything than what they are. The sweet emerges with sweetness and the sour with sourness. Even if I could eat all the sweet cherries of summer, I could not say that my nature is thus sweetened. It is impossible to say that eating the sour plum, my nature is soured. Yet all are this timeless and endless roll of packing tape spreading out in all directions and all times, holding it all together as not one, not two or three.
Right this instant, the roll of tape is everything together. It is kept in your beard, is in your gas tank, is whithin your boss’s grasping hands or under your zafu. If it is in your beard, do not try to clean it out. If it is in your gas tank, do not try to siphon it out. Do not try to steal from grasping hands or fish it out from under the zafu.

Gasshō
sat-lah
Fūryū

[Jundo]

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