SIT-A-LONG with Taigu: Baike 3

The entire world is mind-ground, the entire world is blossom-heart. Because the entire world is blossom-heart, the entire world is plum blossoms.

Dogen points it out. Dogen's finger is also it. Once you cut things into one, it reveals as one big shining thing. The precept of not killing applies fully here, each thing is welcomed and not killed, not labeled, not covered up. Blossom within a blossom, each blossom-thing, blossom-office, blossom-bus, blossom-bag, blossom-shopping is as is. Untouched blossom.



[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH94Qi5iiBs[/youtube]

today is cold, rain, wind, grey
shokai is warm, dry, still, happy

shokai wrote;

Quote:

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experiencing life on the zz line (loose translation of Uchiyama :D )

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thank you taigu-sensei

Thank-you, Teacher.

Wonderful to witness your joy/blossom with this teaching. Gassho, Shogen

Deep bows,

It's hard being in a field of study where every plant, animal, breeze, and bug has its name. Learn this, name that, classify this, quantify that. But there's always that moment of amazement, or of pure exhaustion, when it just goes away. Anyways, gassho.

_()_
Peter

Thanks Taigu, Sorry I killed so many blossoms but I'll try to maintain the precept better. More practice is necessary. The direction is clear.

Thanks for that Taigu.

Thank you Taigu Sensei. I didn't consider the precept from that perspective. Very, very cool

This reminds me of Oscar Wilde's

"Yet each man kills the thing he loves,
from all let this be heard.
Some does it with a bitter look,
some with a flattering word.
The coward does it with a kiss,
the brave man with the sword."

I guess in what Dogen is pointing out we name to control, grasp.

Gassho,

RIsho

Hi Risho,

One can look at the precepts from the exoteric point of view, a set of rules to live by, things not to do, things to do...But one can also have an esoteric take, much more poetic and really inspiring. Of course, this doesn't contradict that. Not killing is not killing. But again, how one could ever live without killing? Our body is a war machine ( blood cells and antibodies) as well as an instrument of peace. We need food. So not killing is also not killing the Buddha-Dharma, giving it a chance to be a reality in our life. Not killing is also not manipulating the magic of reality, not boxing and framing stuff and people ( a thing I catch myself at doing all the time). Not killing is to stop. Just stop.

gassho

Taigu

Thank you for teaching the joy of blossoming blossoms.

I have gotten a little behind on this Baike series.
Thank you for reminding us that there are many sublime ways in which the precepts can be examined. That there is more to them than just the most obvious interpretations was very iluminating!

Gassho,
John