Today's found treasure

To Waiting

You spend so much of your time

expecting to become

someone else

always someone

who will be different

someone to whom a moment

whatever moment it may be

at last has come

and who has been

met and transformed

into no longer being you

and so has forgotten you

meanwhile in your life

you hardly notice the world around you lights changing

sirens dying along the buildings

your eyes intent

on a sight you do not see yet

not yet there

as long as you

are only yourself

with whom as you

recall you were

never happy

to be left alone for long

             

  —W.S. MERWIN

From a newsletter of the Zen Center for Contemplative Care.

Garuda

Clearing off my half-read pile this month, so have gone back to The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche. (I think I have been going through this so slowly because I keep scurrying off to look things up.) I'd heard of garudas before, but not the Tibetan significance: Because they are born fully grown, they represent our primordial nature, which is already completely perfect. Wing feathers are fully developed in the egg. but it cannot fly until it hatches. The garuda is mentioned in the context of the bardos, so in this case it is pointing to the opportunity for liberation at death, i.e., once the body is discarded, the qualities of buddhahood will be 'radiantly' displayed.

I haven't yet figured out how to post a properly sized image in this software yet, but here's a great one: from the site linked above - http://www.fodian.net/world/garuda/garuda2.jpg. These look a lot like gryphons to me!

From Wikipedia: In Buddhist mythology, the garuḍas (Pāli: garuḷā) are enormous predatory birds with intelligence and social organization. Another name for the garuḍa is suparṇa (Pāli: supaṇṇa), meaning "well-winged, having good wings". Like the Nāgas, they combine the characteristics of animals and divine beings, and may be considered to be among the lowest devas.

Alright world..... watch out for my beak.

First post

Here's the intent: To support a practice of seeing clearly in thought, word, and deed.

A friend shared a poem by Hafiz on his blog as a portent for the year, which is what inspired me to finally practice my own Network Zen. Here's the poem:

For God
to make love
For the divine alchemy to work,

The Pitcher needs a still cup.

Why
Ask Hafiz
Anything more about

Your most
Vital
Requirement.

(Thank's Bice.) Here's to the still cup, and the chance to see clear, right down to the bottom.