DAILY PHOTO: On the Steps of Cusco Cathedral
Image
1
Category Archives: Religion
Temple Guardians [Haiku]
the stone monkeys
at the temple entrance seem
less than inviting
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
DAILY PHOTO: Chinese Temple[Caow Eng Bio]; Kuta, Bali
DAILY PHOTO: Župné Námestie Square, Bratislava
Image
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
DAILY PHOTO: Szilágyi Dezső Square Reformed Church
BOOK REVIEW: Singing and Dancing Are the Voice of the Law by Busshō Lahn
Singing and Dancing Are the Voice of the Law: A Commentary on Hakuin’s “Song of Zazen” by Bussho LahnMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Amazon.in Page
Release Date: December 20, 2022 [In India, may be out in your area.]
This book consists of a collection of essays inspired by the poem, “Song of Zazen,” written by the 18th century Zen master, Hakuin. Hakuin’s poem is brief (about forty lines,) and the essays composed by a present-day Zen priest (Lahn) offer commentary on a stanza-by-stanza basis. The book is divided into fourteen chapters, though the final chapter isn’t a stanza commentary.
I enjoyed reading this book and learned a great deal from it. The book benefits from the fact that the author is not rigidly sectarian. Therefore, the book is not doctrinaire, which warms the reader to the teachings. It’s also useful because it allowed the author to freely draw examples and quotes from a variety of sources, some of which may be more familiar or relatable to neophyte readers.
The last chapter offers a discussion of the fundamentals of zazen (seated meditation) as well as some other ancillary information that may be useful to readers new to Zen Buddhism, its practices, and its sutras. If you’re interested in Zen Buddhist meditation and philosophy, you may want to give it a look.
View all my reviews
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Ockham’s Clerihew
Friar William of Ockham thought priestly possessions a scam. Jailed by the Pope, he slipped the rope.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Dragon-slayer or Drunkard? [Common Meter]
I see so many statues of dragon-slayers mid-kill. The winged serpents pierced by a lance conjures up such a thrill. But there're no dragons, never were. So, what were they slaying. Dinos went extinct before our time is all that I'm saying. So, were they killing geckos, or maybe a rock lizard? Maybe chickens, given the wings? Struck right through the gizzard! Could it be St. George liked to drink or was tripping ergot? To earn so many statues, he'd a publicist, I bet. "The dragons were metaphorical!" OK, that's really swell, but shouldn't George's heroism be figurative as well?
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
DAILY PHOTO: Sculpture and Façade of Blumentál Church, Bratislava
Image
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
In the Temple [Free Verse]
i enter an empty temple.
it’s not silent.
footfalls resonate
&
floorboards creak.
but flickering flames
&
sleepy-eyed Buddhas
are quiet enough
in an hour,
the monks will filter in
with great punctuality:
monks, young and old.
(i would say, “and ages in-between,”
but they all seem young or old.)
there will be chanting,
and the din of finger cymbals
and deep-toned drums.
and i will leave
for the solace
of the world
outside the temple.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 