I come across a phrase as I flip through a text that I've read over and over, entitled, "La nécessité de Giacometti" (The Necessity of Giacometti), by Yves Bonnefoy: Giacometti's intention in his art, Bonnefoy writes, was to "saisir" (seize) "la transcendance dans l'immanence" (transcendence in immanence). Seize what can't be seized: That was his [...]
Of all the possible words (worlds?) to grab and type here, a few are chosen: Several talks from last Portugal retreat and a conference at the Fnac in Coimbra are now posted on the Wild Flower Portugal site: http://sanghazenpt.wordpress.com/ For those in Paris, an American poet not to miss tomorrow night (Tuesday): Norman Fischer, Zen [...]
Another full-schedule week of multiple activities having now come to this, a rainy, chilly, sometimes sunny, sometimes not Easter Sunday. After newspaper work, I'm home again. I think I have now done everything that I think I can possibly think of doing. Reminds me of the Zen story (as told by D.T. Suzuki) in which [...]
A bit more information today about the accident and my friend: He is conscious, can speak and move. His injuries are serious, but not what we might have imagined. Sounds like some sort of miracle. Again, I notice the movement. The story changes. My emotions shift, ebb, flow. The very nature of "accident" is uncertainty, [...]
Tonight I receive news that a friend has had a serious accident. The information is sketchy --- how? why? So much is unknown. Yet he is alive. There are waves of emotion, then I forget, or they subside. Then I feel something else, and something else, and something else. How must it be for his [...]
It's Wednesday, late afternoon, a balmy day in the city easing to its end. Ran some errands and then had lunch in the neighborhood with an old dharma sister/friend. The grilled salmon was nice and the miso soup, too. We checked in with each other, laughed, listened, shared our differences. Each then went her way, [...]
Off to Portugal on a fine, spring-like morning. The cat is sick; I don't like leaving her. Bag is packed. Can't think of any book to take except a very old translation and commentary of two classic Buddhist texts. Not sure I'll read it. Not sure of anything. Only that now I must stand and [...]
Haven't seen the days go by. Haven't seen myself go by. Surprised by the light lingering longer tonight as evening settled in. Curious about the words that I typed out all day. And also the words here: What course will they follow? Where will they fall? And how? And who? I'll never, never know. Ah, [...]
...After a day of newspaper work, I come home full of so much bureaucracy, theory, policy-making, applied tactical warfare... More NATO troops heading for Afghanistan so that they can all come home. Imposed "democratic" elections in Iraq, where there is ever-more sectarian violence. Science proving this or that, studying the effects of meditation on the [...]
A heightened level of diverse activity in my life of late has made for changed patterns of my daily doings. Like heavy rain swelling a river that then has its course altered or spills over its banks. I have not been able to hold to habitual ways and expectations, as everything is in flux. Writing [...]