macaques heard,
but not seen, amid the fog
of Winter hot springs.
Monkey Hot Tub? [Haiku]
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Author Archives: B Gourley
BOOKS: “The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma” Translation by Red Pine
The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma by BodhidharmaMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Site
Bodhidharma was a Buddhist Monk who is credited with bringing an approach to Buddhism to China that would become Zen. This book presents four of his surviving lectures in their entirety: “Outline of Practice,” “Bloodstream Sermon,” “Wake-up Sermon,” and “Breakthrough Sermon.” It is a bilingual edition, featuring Traditional Chinese script juxtaposed with the English translation.
Bodhidharma was an intriguing and important character in the history of Buddhism, so much so that a legend has grown up around him that is in all likelihood substantially false. The most well-known element of the legend is that he taught monks the martial art that became Shaolin Kung Fu. (Historians refute the likelihood of this because there was no evidence of it in the documentation in the centuries immediately after Bodhidharma’s death. The story came along much later and caught on like gangbusters, so much so that it is routinely repeated today as if established fact. For elaboration, see Meir Shahar’s “The Shaolin Monastery.”) There is simply not a lot known about Bodhidharma (or even the extent which there was a Bodhidharma,) and what is known is not without controversy. Popular accounts put his homeland in Tamil Nadu, India, but dissenting accounts put it as far away as Persia (Iran.)
The reason I mention all this is because some potential readers may expect a kind of fabled story, full of kung fu and magic, and — in point of fact — these teachings offer a clear and straightforward approach to the practice of Buddhism. I’d highly recommend the book for readers interested in Buddhism, Zen, and meditational practices – generally. It is a clear and thought-provoking work. But, if you’re expecting a thrilling recitation of legend and woo-woo, this isn’t it.
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“I saw a man pursuing the horizon” by Stephen Crane [w/ Audio]
I saw a man pursuing the horizon;
Round and round they sped.
I was disturbed at this;
I accosted the man.
"It is futile," I said,
"You can never ---"
"You lie," he cried,
And ran on.
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Snowy Pass [Haiku]
the pass is snowy;
though low country types think it
the cusp of Summer.
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BOOKS: “Harlem Shadows” by Claude McKay
Harlem Shadows by Claude McKayMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Project Gutenberg
This 1922 poetry collection is wide-ranging and beautifully composed. As the title hints, this is a product of that great literary and artistic movement known as the Harlem Renaissance.
The seventy-plus poems include sonnets and various other forms of poems, mostly lyric and rarely more than a couple pages in length. Besides being varied in form, they poems are also diverse of tone — from frank invectives on race to sweet love poems. They take New York as their home and tap into the verve of the day. The collection includes many of McKay’s best-known poems including: “If We Must Die,” “America,” and “Harlem Shadows.” Though bucolic beauties such as “Spring in New Hampshire” and “The Snow-Fairy” are not to be skipped over.
I enjoyed these poems and found them powerful and lyrical.
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DAILY PHOTO: Russia-Georgia Friendship Monument
“The Clod and the Pebble” by William Blake [w/ Audio]
"Love seeketh not itself to please,
Nor for itself hath any care,
But for another gives its ease,
And builds a Heaven in Hell's despair."
So sung a little Clod of Clay
Trodden with the cattle's feet,
But a Pebble of the brook
Warbled out these metres meet:
"Love seeketh only self to please,
To bind another to its delight,
Joys in another's loss of ease,
And builds a Hell in Heaven's despite."
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PROMPT: Meal Price
What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on a meal? Was it worth it?
Probably about $50 USD.
No. Definitely not. I don’t have fancy tastebuds, so all my system can differentiate is how much pride they are taking in putting such scant portions of edible matter on the plate. I do not find pride filling.
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Willows [Haiku]
willows dangle
over flowing waters:
reaching not touching.
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PROMPT: News & Life
Daily writing prompt
Scour the news for an entirely uninteresting story. Consider how it connects to your life. Write about that.
It is by no means uninteresting, nor did it require “scouring” (though it probably would have if I was in the US,) but Bangladesh is imploding (PM ouster, protests turn violent, all exacerbated by flooding, etc.,) and we were planning to visit later this year. So, much for that trip.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 