From "Song of the Twelve Hours of the Day", Poems & Records from Pilgrimages, The Recorded Sayings of Zen Master Joshu (Green)
Sun down. The ninth hour of the day.
Except for the deserted wilderness what is there to protect?
The greatness of a monk is to flow on without any special obligations,
A monk going from temple to temple has eternity.
Words that go beyond the pattern do not come through the mouth,
Aimlessly continuing where the sons of Shakyamuni left off.
A staff of rough bramble wood;
It's not just for mountain climbing but also to chase off dogs.
wrrdgrrl: I can't help but think of the caravan of displaced people marching north towards America. Those walkers might use a staff in a similar fashion as the master (for support and defense). The other thing about this selection that piqued me was the idea of protecting the deserted wilderness. I'm betting he's not referring to the back-forty.
Why does something that's been deserted require protecting? And how does that relate to what Americans are casting their ballots today to protect? Or does it relate?
Submitted November 07, 2018 at 12:46AM by wrrdgrrl https://ift.tt/2OuzUSS
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