What is the sound of one tail wagging?

[Ryumon]

If I may be so bold as to post a brief sentence from Jundo's book that I am editing; I hope, Jundo-san, that there is nothing wrong with this. This may be the encapsulation of the entire book, and it merits attention. It should perhaps be a blurb on the book cover itself:

...the best way for a dog to realize that it has a tail is not to chase it, but to rest and wag it.

Gassho,

Kirk

[Jundo]

Arf

Maybe it is best to say "the best way for a dog to realize that it is the tail wagging is to wag?"


PS - Thank you, Kirk, for all your so many hours of work to edit my "book" on Shobogenzo which actually has turned into two books (total 500 pages?) because I just kept going and going ...

[Ryumon]

Arf

Maybe it is best to say "the best way for a dog to realize that it is the tail wagging is to wag?"


PS - Thank you, Kirk, for all your so many hours of work to edit my "book" on Shobogenzo which actually has turned into two books (total 500 pages?) because I just kept going and going ...

But you have stopped now; that is what is important. :-)

Gassho,

Kirk

[Jundo]

But you have stopped now; that is what is important. :-)

Gassho,

Kirk

No, I wrote a whole nuther book while I am waiting for your edits. Really. It is much shorter though. I wrote it all the last two weeks. (Don't worry, I will not ask you to edit it).

It is called ...

JUST STOP!

Zen Wisdom for our Busy Lives


By



Jundo Cohen

Quick taste, much lighter stuff ...

CHAPTER 7

‘MAKE ME ONE WITH EVERYTHING’


There is an old joke:

A Zen master visiting New York City goes up to a hot dog vendor and says,

"Make me one with everything."

For those who are not into the hot dog scene, “one with everything” means with “all the works,” mustard and relish, hot chili and ketchup, onions and sauerkraut and more. (This story also shows that not all Japanese Zen folks are vegetarian, but that is a topic for another day.) In fact, I used to think of this story as just an overly told Zen joke, but really there is some substance inside its bun. Zen truly is about becoming “one with everything,” in a universe that is the “whole works” of bitter and sweet, hot and sour, good and bad for us too. As well, you never know what is really mixed in there, and what you will be handed as life’s sausage.

To be precise, we don’t “become one with everything” because, better said, we realize that we are and have been everything all along. However, we don’t easily see that fact in day to day life.

And our realizing that fact is the key ingredient to the recipe which satisfies “Dukkha,” the dissatisfaction, anxiety, disappointment, unease, frustration … the ‘dis-ease’ … that we talked about in the last chapter. How?

[Ryumon]

If it's a book of Bronx Zen humor, I'd be delighted!

Gassho,

Kirk

[Mp]

Maybe it is best to say "the best way for a dog to realize that it is the tail wagging is to wag?"

Gassho
Shingen

Sat/LAH