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{"id":1712,"date":"2013-04-06T09:19:24","date_gmt":"2013-04-06T15:19:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/?p=1712"},"modified":"2013-04-06T09:21:46","modified_gmt":"2013-04-06T15:21:46","slug":"the-life-of-a-dog-dragging-a-stick-horizontally-through-a-vertical-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wildfoxzen\/2013\/04\/the-life-of-a-dog-dragging-a-stick-horizontally-through-a-vertical-world.html","title":{"rendered":"The Life of a Dog: Dragging a Stick Horizontally Through a Vertical World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

At first I laughed at him \u2026 and then encouraged him to drop the stick \u2013 but he was steadfast. After \u201cDrop!\u201d didn\u2019t save him, I related with his predicament and just stayed with him.<\/p>\n

He finally dropped the stick when he was ready, swirled around, and bounded freely through the woods, as if he was getting the last laugh after having played the fool.<\/p>\n

The following koan from Record of Transmitting the Light<\/em> comes to mind:<\/p>\n

Ejo came to Dogen. One day, in the course of seeking guidance, he heard the koan, \u201cA single hair penetrates many holes.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Hearing this, at once he attained to realization. That evening, he went to the teacher\u2019s room, made his bows, and said, \u201cI do not ask about the single hair. What are many holes?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Dogen smiled and said, \u201cYou penetrated it.\u201d Ejo made bows. $\"\"$ <\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Of course, the whole works is just holes and hairs \u2026 well, that seems a little weird but stay in the context, stay in the context!<\/p>\n

Like I was saying, the whole works is holes and hairs. Every which way, penetrating and being penetrated so much so that it all collapses.<\/p>\n

So Ejo asked Dogen not for a presentation of the hair but of the holes.<\/p>\n

Dogen smiled and we are invited into this smile as well, joining Dogen, Ejo, and Bodhi in tender compassion for the whole works \u2013 hairs and holes, horizontal and vertical, form and emptiness.<\/p>\n

Keizan\u2019s verse (Cleary translation):<\/p>\n

Space has never admitted even a needle;<\/em>
\n In the vastness there is nothing to rely on,<\/em>
\n So who is there to discuss it?<\/em>
\n Do not say one hair goes through myriad holes\u2013<\/em>
\n The bare, clean ground hasn\u2019t a trace.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"