"Heart unclouded, heart clouded.."

[Seizan]

Hi All,

"Heart unclouded, heart clouded
standing or falling,
it is still the same body."

I found this in the latest issue of Tricycle.

Deep Gassho,
Seizan

[Yugen]

... this old bag of bones.... my constant companion

Thank you Seizan gassho2

Yugen

[Mp]

Beautiful Seizan ... thank you. :)

Gassho
Shingen

[Kokuu]

Lovely! Could also be applied to the mind whether still or in turmoil.

Gassho
Andy

[KellyRok]

Love this, thank you Seizan!

Gassho,
Kelly/Jinmei

[Ishin]

[gassholook]

[Joyo]

Thank you for posting!

gassho1
Treena

[Jundo]

I had to see who was the author of this lovely poem. The writer is the 14th Century Princess and Nun named Yodo, who was a daughter of the Emperor and later Abbess of Tokeiji Monastery for Women in Kamakura.

I have been to this temple many times. What is very special is that it is known as the "Divorce Temple", one of the few refuges of the time for women seeking escape from a difficult or abusive relationship ... if they had the ability to get there, and if they could make it within the walls ...


[It was known as] "Enkiri-dera: temple for cutting ties with a man (Kakekomi-dera: shelter for a woman)." ...

In the Edo period, only man had right of claim for divorce. However, women were able to get a divorce if they ran into Tokei-ji temple or Mantoku-ji temple and had a three-year of training. This was legally guaranteed by “Enkiri-dera law." Once a woman threw [over the walls a shoe] she was wearing into the temple grounds, it was recognized as running in. Even men in power were not allowed to enter the temple.

The temple was founded by Kakusan-ni, the wife of Hojo Tokimune. It started saving women from the beginning. Noble women like Yodo-ni, princess of the Emperor Godaigo, and Tenshu-ni, daughter of Toyotomi Hideyori, had been a chief priest in the past.

You can read a bit more about Yodo and the sanctuary if you search the word "unclouded" here, and read from page 238 to 240 ...

http://www.amazon.com/Women-Way-Discovering-Buddhist-Wisdom/dp/0061146595

Gassho, J

[Myosha]

Thank you.


Gassho,
Edward

[Seizan]

Thank you, Jundo! I only had a short time to search the internet and couldn't find the details right away. I love the back story.

Gassho
Seizan