Thursday, August 9, 2007

already one

I recently recommended Laurence Shainberg’s book Ambivalent Zen, to a friend of mine, and he caught one of my favorite passages and sent it to me:

"You know, Larry-san, marriage very beautiful.
Two people live together, do each other laundry, cook each other.
Slowly two people become one. But me - I one already!"

And then his commentary:

“The roshi is one, and he knows it;
others are one too, but they do not see it.
The difference lies in the awareness,
not in the shape of one's being.”

And then these three parallel passages from Christian Asia and farther Asia:

Regardless of attire or adornment,
The guiltless one, calm, self-restrained,
Chaste and resolute,
Refraining totally from hurting living beings,
Is the Brahmin, the recluse the monk.” (Dhammapada 10:14)

They who are happy within themselves,
Enjoy within themselves the delight of the soul,
And even so are illuminated by the inner light,
Such a yogi identified with Brahman
Attains Brahman who is all peace. (Bhagavad Gita 5:24)

We are told of one of the divinely inspired Fathers,
That when he was asked what a monk was,
He made no reply,
But removed his cloak and trampled it under foot.
(Nicholas Cabasillas, A Commentary on the Divine Liturgy)

I’m off to Big Sur to give the Spirit, Soul and Body retreat there.