Hi all,

I must say that I’m with Dosho on having some difficulty getting “gummed up” with the issue of compassion for the cat. In the reading the author makes the statement, “ Hundreds and thousands of animals are killed every day, but none of these deaths is a sacrifice for our liberation. Nansen sacrificed the life of one cat for the liberation of hundreds of millions of beings.” Sorry, but that really bothered me and I have been “stuck on it” for the last couple weeks.

Thank you Jundo for adding,
That is why I do not think that Nansen, as an Ordained Buddhist Priest, actually killed the cat (if the story is even a historical event). Buddhist Priests are sometimes iconoclasts, but there are certain lines even a priest won't step over (and even though, in old China, cats may have been thought of as no more than pests and vermin ... about like killing a rat in the kitchen).
I really enjoyed Willow and Taigu's back and forth on Willow's cut/suture metaphor.

And Alan.r, I too am a Wilco fan....nice quote relating to our reading. Perhaps this next one is not directly related, but I can't help myself from adding:

"I would like to salute
The ashes of American flags
And all the fallen leaves
Filling up shopping bags"

Gassho,
Jisen/BrianW