...bits of autumn...

we have friends who live their lives quite differently from each other and never tire of criticizing the other's choice

green mountains are green mountains, white clouds are white clouds

one seemingly immovable, the other seemingly in perpetual motion - however, one moves in harmony with its environment! shouldn't we be trying this rather than criticizing?

"A person of the Way fundamentally does not dwell anywhere. The white clouds are fascinated with the green mountain's foundation. the bright moon cherishes being carried along with the flowing water. The clouds part and the mountains appear. The moon sets and the water is cool. Each bit of autumn contains vast interpenetration without bounds." - Hongzhi Zhengji 1091-1157, Chinese Chan Master

Calligraphy: White Clouds by Seki Rozan 1865 - 1944
White Clouds of Themselves Go and Come
The first half of this well-known Zen phrase is "Green Mountains Originally Don't Move." There is a contrast (and harmony) between the eternally unmoving mountains and the constantly changing clouds. Also, our ephemeral lives are like the white clouds, coming and going, here and there, nowhere to settle down-and that is fine, just the way things are.

flying (rushing) away from stress

sitting in an airport, I watched all my fellow travelers impatiently waiting for the delayed flight to arrive. we always seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere else! we rush onto the plane, which has "finally" arrived in order to get seats closest to the front to be able to rush off again at destination.

what happens to this time that we are thinking about being somewhere else - does this "rushing" around heighten our enjoyment of being at destination or diminish our enjoyment of "being" where we are? can we get it back again and add it onto the end of our lives?

NO!

destination, journey - I see on the net that the debate continues but, as buddhists, we know that that is only dualistic thinking - the destination and the journey are the same thing - enjoy them/it and remember that the time you spend wishing away, cannot be retrieved!

"thoughts" on devil-grass

our mind is like soil - if it is fertile but unattended or without "purpose", weeds (demons) will abound. if however, we plant seeds (positivity) and attend to it (zazen), the weeds cannot brow and the soil has "purpose".

soil which is infertile, will have neither weeds nor purpose and will therefore go through time achieving nothing - admittedly this soil may be considered lucky because of the absence of "demons", however whether or not this is a good thing, I don't know - YET!