Yet another memo

 

Not much to report this morning from the Pure Land (AKA the park bench or wherever) I have been ploughing my way through the Dhammapada over the past few days. The translation is fairly dry to say the least but gems appear from out of the mist. A little phrase....... "Day and night, the mind delights in gentleness." The words struck me and stuck. They have already saved me from a few mental diatribes aimed at Boris Johnson - the mental processes mercifully cut off at the second or third "bastard". After which, the delight in gentleness! For a few moments at least.

Almost through the Dhammapada now and moving on to the Flower Ornament Scripture. I have often dipped into that in the past. D T Suzuki says of this work.....(he gives it its posh name)

“As to the Avatamsaka-Sutra, it is really the consummation of Buddhist thought, Buddhist sentiment, and Buddhist experience. To my mind, no religious literature in the world can ever approach the grandeur of conception, the depth of feeling, and the gigantic scale of composition, as attained by the sutra. Here not only deeply speculative minds find satisfaction, but humble spirits and heavily oppressed hearts, too, will have their burdens lightened. Abstract truths are so concretely, so symbolically represented here that one will finally come to a realization of the truth that even in a particle of dust the whole universe is seen reflected—not this visible universe only, but a vast system of universes, conceivable by the highest minds only.”

Humble spirits? Now there's a thing! As Thomas Merton once said, "we can never be humble enough."

Nevertheless it is a fine scripture. Still, if a scientific treatise is preferred or the morning paper, that's the way it goes.

The rain has held off. The forecast is that snow is on the way.