I opened my email today to find the poem of the day from Panhala was by the Medieval Japanese Zen monk and poet Ikkyu. In Sonya Arutzen’s translation. Every day, priests minutely examine the Law And endlessly chant complicated sutras. Before doing that, though, they should learn How to read the love letters sent by the wind and rain, the snow and moon. Sojun Ikkyu is one of my favorite Zen teachers. He was born sometime in 1394 in a... Read more
In his Confession and Other Religious Writings, Leo Tolstoy tells us: “There is an old Eastern fable about a traveler who is taken unawares on the steppes by a ferocious wild animal. In order to escape the beast the traveler hides in an empty well, but at the bottom of the well he sees a dragon with its jaws open, ready to devour him. The poor fellow does not dare to climb out because he is afraid of being eaten... Read more
Yunyan asked Daowu, ‘How does the Bodhisattva Guanyin use those many hands and eyes?’ Daowu answered, ‘It is like someone in the middle of the night reaching behind her head for the pillow.’ Yunyan said, ‘I understand.’ Daowu asked, ‘How do you understand it?’ Yunyan said, ‘All over the body are hands and eyes.’ Daowu said, ‘That is very well expressed, but it is only eight-tenths of the answer.’ Yunyan said, ‘How would you say it,... Read more
Sit down. The Buddha said there are four ways to meditate. Sitting, standing, lying down, and walking. So, by “sitting down,” what I’m saying is marking out a time and a place and give your body as well as your mind that space and that period of time dedicated to exploring the wisdom of your body, heart, and mind. Shut up. Meditation is one of those words that has too many definitions, basically it only means “doing something with your... Read more
As it happens it was on this day in 1943 that Norman Rockwell’s painting Freedom from Want was presented to the general public in the Saturday Evening Post. It was the last of Rockwell’s Four Freedoms series inspired by Franklin Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address. I personally think that the president’s address, and the accompanying paintings by Rockwell are a beautiful if not completely adequate summation of what I believe the American Dream in fact is. Possibly of... Read more
WHO IS OUR NEIGHBOR? A Meditation for Hard Times James Ishmael Ford 5 March 2017 Unitarian Universalist Church Long Beach, California Thus have I heard. A lawyer asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” In reply Jesus told a story.“ Once there was a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho who was set upon by thieves, who beat him severely, stripped him of his money and even his clothing, and left him lying in the road, half-dead. A series of people... Read more
Wandering around the webosphere can be worth the trouble. You just never know what you’re going to learn. This time I’ve learned some nifty curses for people who borrow your books and don’t return them. For instance. “For him that stealeth, or borroweth and returneth not, this book from its owner, let it change into a serpent in his hand & rend him. Let him be struck with palsy & all his members blasted. Let him languish in pain crying... Read more
I look at myself and at others and I see some common realities. I believe we have divided hearts. That is we are pulled in multiple directions at the same time. And the consequences of this pulling and our many forced choices, most of which made from this sense of division leads to hurt for ourselves and for those whom we love. I believe the call of the spiritual life is a call to something hard, and to something necessary.... Read more
Arthel Lane Watson was born on this day in 1923. Doc, as we all call him, was a master of the flat pick. Benjy Eisen writing Doc’s 2012 obituary for Rolling Stone summarized Doc’s contributions. “Born in 1923 in Deep Gap, Arthel Lane “Doc” Watson influenced generations of country, folk and bluegrass artists with his flatpicking approach to the guitar. Watson went blind at age one following an eye infection and quickly grew immersed in music thanks to his parents,... Read more
It all started when I noted that the eighth and last attempt to assassinate Queen Victoria took place on this day in 1882. The attempt was by Roderick McLean, a poet who appears to have been offended by what he considered a curt response when he had sent a sample of his work to the Queen. That led me to think a number of things, not least of which, was, oh my, eight assassination attempts? Considering the length of her... Read more
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