The Forty-fifth of 108 Gates Of Dharma Illumination

[Shokai]

The Forty-fifth Gate: knowledge of names and forms.

Knowledge of names and forms is a gate of Dharma illumination; for it clears away many obstacles.(Nishijima/Cross)
Knowing names and forms is a gate of realizing Dharma; it removes various hindrances. (Tanahashi)

Gate Gatha:
May we, together with all buddhas;
Clarify our understanding of names and forms,
That we may be assured of a clear path.

Reflection Prompts:
1. How does knowing Names and forms clear away the hinderances?
2. Give an example?
3. Re-write the Capping Verse.

Capping Verse:
A map without forms
Is merely
A piece of paper

gassho, Shokai
stlah

[Hosai]

Many undereducated and impoverished people just recently learned a new name ... Tariff...

Oh and,

A map without forms (usually called "borders") is just one more state to annex.

_/\_
sat/ah
hōsai

[Jundo]

Many undereducated and impoverished people just recently learned a new name ... Tariff...

Oh and,

A map without forms (usually called "borders") is just one more state to annex.

_/\_
sat/ah
hōsai

Please watch the political references, Hosai. I have asked before. Thank you.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

[Tairin]

I suppose this is a case of Absolute and Relative

In the Absolute everything is beyond names and forms but to survive in the Relative we need to use names and forms.

Hard to tell someone to get out of the way of a bus without names and forms.


Tairin
Sat today and lah

[Choujou]

Reflection Prompts:
1. How does knowing Names and forms clear away the hinderances?
2. Give an example?
3. Re-write the Capping Verse.

1. Nothing to confuse or distort. All is as it is… nothing to distract. Every dharma distinct yet part of the whole…

2. If one sees a striped animal run by and you have no context, one can give into fear, curiosity, doubt… one is distracted away and hindered from the truth. After all a zebra is a zebra.

3. These words
Are Meaningless
Without names and forms

Gassho,
Choujou

sat/lah today

[Hosai]

Reflection Prompts:
1. How does knowing Names and forms clear away the hinderances?
2. Give an example?
3. Re-write the Capping Verse.

1. Nothing to confuse or distort. All is as it is… nothing to distract. Every dharma distinct yet part of the whole…

2. If one sees a striped animal run by and you have no context, one can give into fear, curiosity, doubt… one is distracted away and hindered from the truth. After all a zebra is a zebra.

3. These words
Are Meaningless
Without names and forms

Where I live It's more likely a skunk than a zebra... :P

_/\_
sat/ah
hōsai

[Furyu]

I will confess that I'm not quite getting this gate; it seems a bit vague. I assume name and form is a way of saying seeing all things as separate and naming them basically so we can talk about them or relate to them in a relative way, like Tairin says. But how this clears obstacles or hindrances to clarity of mind, I'm not really sure.

I will write a fool's verse today...

countless grasses to name
too many for the mind to know
In a breath, I split them back into one


Fūryū
satlah