BEING-TIME

Let's get existential!

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I'm not going to pretend that I completely understand everything I'm reading from Dogen's masterwork the Shobogenzo. I don't! But I have Shinshu Roberts to help guide me through one of its ninety-five fascicles/essay, "Uji."

I first encountered her initial thoughts on "Uji" in Receiving the Marrow: Teachings on Dogen by Soto Zen Women Priests, edited by Eido Frances Carney. I found her teaching compelling enough that I wanted more. And here it is.

Shinshu Roberts breaks down "Uji" into manageable parts and comments upon them. She defines terms. She explores what Dogen is doing in this essay and how it connects to other essays in the Shobogenzo, which I find extremely helpful to my current "cutting in" project.

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It was interesting to learn that Dogen took a term consisting of two kanji, 有時, and transformed it. When they are combined, they read as aru-toki, "for the time being." When they stand alone, they read as u, "being," and ji, "time." So he takes the characters, figuratively breaks them apart, and then stitches them back together.

So the notion of uji, "being-time," is not only philosophically dense, but also linguistically rich. And bent like a reed by Dogen.

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"When we realize the nondual nature of a dharma position or particular being-time, we can include everything and avoid getting caught in a constricting story about our current situation. Making up a defining story line takes us further away from the true state of our experience." 

—page 45

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"When Dogen equates time and being, he shifts our erroneous notions of time from time outside the person to time as the person. The dharma position "person" is time. This being-time also includes everything at this time."

—page 50

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"The fact that we are buddha-nature does not mean we will act according to that nature. Expressing buddha-nature (realization) is dependent upon practice, which is the enactment of our true nature."

—page 69

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Did I mention notions of nonduality, nonsequential time, suchness, and the like? No? And I'm only a third of the way through this commentary.

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This is a wild ride and I am glad to have a teacher that is able to dissect Dogen's phrases and wordplay and philosophy and serve up (mostly) digestible nibbles and bites.

NINE PERFECT STRANGERS

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty is not my normal reading material. I needed a brief respite from Buddhist philosophy and I've seen the first season of the Netflix series based on the novel, so I entered the novel's pages. While the book and series share bones, they are fleshed quite differently. The book is mostly interior, in ways the series cannot be. Moriarty keeps things moving along and interesting for me as a reader. I appreciated the characters that she fleshes out, although she only really does that with Masha (the owner of the health resort that is the setting of the novel) and four of the nine strangers. The other five participants of the health retreat are a bit stiff because we don't know enough about them. The series actually does a better job of focusing on each of the nine strangers and Masha than the book, so this is one of the cases where the "movie" was better than the book.

GRAMPA'S WEEDER

The Wife gave me Grampa's Weeder and Grampa's Garden Apron as gifts. I'm not quite sure what she's trying to tell me, but maybe she just wants me out of the house.

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Grampa's Weeder is an excellent tool. It allows me to stand upright and easily pull weeds. Unlike many similar weeders on the market, it has no plastic parts! It's a solid wood handle and metal forks and step/pedal. The pedal moves one fork on a thick metal rod. You poke the forks into the center of a weed, step on the pedal, move the weeder in the direction of the pedal which closes the forks together, and pull the weed out. Easy! Plus it allows me to weed for longer periods of time with less back strain and pain.

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I wasn't sure about Grampa's Garden Apron, but it is actually quite useful. It has a large pocket on the front so you can place your pulled weeds in it. Once full, you release two clips and empty the pocket at the bottom into a bucket, garbage can, or yard waste bin. It means I can move around faster than having to stay in close proximity to my bucket or bin. Win!

FREE THROW

I recently discovered that shooting free throws, either in real life at the gym or virtually via Wii Resort, is the best physical therapy for my arm. Progress on healing had mostly stopped and I realized I wasn't really using my left arm. But playing with a basketball a couple times per day has reduced pain and increased mobility. Plus it mimics sword work (right = control hand; left = power hand) but in an exaggerated and helpful way! Plus I make sure I dribble with my left hand, which is awkward and challenging, but some bonus PT.

MOKUGYO

Tonight, I had the honor of being invited to strike the mokugyo (temple drum) while we chanted the Heart Sutra after zazen. I was a bit nervous, having never had to keep the beat and chant at the same time, but the mokugyo found its own rhythm. The mokugyo fell into a beat that felt as natural as my breath or my pulse. 

This invitation was also a lesson in paying attention. I've heard the drum beat every time I've sat with the Zen group I'm part of, and we've chanted the Heart Sutra, but I never paid close attention. When he arrived at the final line, the mantra Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha, I had to "decide" whether to slow the beat with the chant or drop off drumming completely at some earlier point. I let the drum follow the slowing of the chant and ended with the final syllable. It felt right. If it wasn't no one said anything to me!

GARDEN BENCH/KNEELER

It's a garden bench!

No, wait, it's a garden kneeler!

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It's both bench and kneeler, and it's apparently a geriatric gardening device. What is The Wife trying to tell me? It doesn't matter. This is one awesome tool for the garden. Achievement unlocked.

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It mostly stays upright. I, however, may be in my "tumbling phase" of life. I've been able to tip this thing over, both forward and back, in both bench and kneeler modes. Can I get paid as a beta tester?

NATIONAL HAIKU DAY

Happy National Haiku Day. 

My favorite haiku (#816) by my favorite haiku poet Bashō. New Year, 1693.

 

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN

A Complete Unknown (2024) directed by James Mangold. This biopic follows Bob Dylan from his beginning as a folk singer until he goes electric, from 1961 to 1965. I don't know how much is fiction and how much is fact, but it was a convincing film. It's about finding one's self when others are trying to sculpt you. It's about mentorship and the pupil exceeding the teacher, about surpassing one's heroes. It's about genius. It's about freedom. It's about being a dick, and perhaps also knowing when not to be one. It's about growing up and maturing. It's about balancing art and capitalism when trying to make a name for one's self. (Who is using who? And for what?) Recommended.

It was nominated for a bunch of awards, and rightly so.

Streaming on Hulu.

SHOBOGENZO

My 2025 "Cutting In" project is studying Shōbōgenzō (Treasury of the True Dharma Eye) by Sōtō Zen founder and master Dōgen. The Shobogenzo consists of a series of essays (fascicles) written primarily for the monastic communities in which he lived and taught. The original Shobogenzo was a 75 fascicles edition, with a later 12 fascicle edition published later in his life. Dogen's hope was to create a 100 fascicle edition, but that was never fully realized.

The reasons for this study are manifold, but the primary motivations include:

1. My own journey into the practice of Zen.
   
2. Having a lot of time on my hands. (Thank you, broken arm.)
3. Discovering the poetry and pleasure of Dogen's writing, even amidst its density and weirdness.
4. Discovering that commentaries really help to unlock some of Dogen's more opaque concepts and word play.
5. Encountering excerpts from many of the pictured books during Dharma teachings at sittings with Olympia Zen Center and South Sound Zen.
6. Listening to what my own sangha (community) members and Zen teachers/mentors are referencing and recommending.
7. Lifelong learning!

To date, this has been a wonderful and challenging experience.

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Books pictured above for the project. (So far!)

Center, center: Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, edited by Kazuaki Tanahashi. This is the "Bible" of this project, so to speak. It includes translations of 96 essays/fascicles, plus a ton of supplementary material.

Center, right: Dōgen's Shōbōgenzō Zuimonki, edited by Shohaku Okumura. These are teachings that were delivered to the monks of his communities, and recorded/transcribed by Dogen's disciple and Dharma heir/successor Ejō. It also includes Dogen's waka poetry with commentary. It has been valuable in unlocking some of the mysteries of the Shobogenzo.

Center, left: Shōbōgenzō: Zen Essays by Dōgen, translated by Thomas Cleary. This includes thirteen essays that Cleary considers key. It's interesting to read these in another translation.

Top, left: Realizing Genjokoan: The Key to Dogen's Shobogenzo, translated by Shohaku Okumura. A book-length commentary that helps to unlock a single Dogen essay, Genjokoan. One of my mentors considers this particular essay to be the best piece of spiritual writing ever written.

Top, center: Mountains and Rivers Sutra: Teachings by Norman Fischer, transcribed and edited by Kuya Minogue. The Buddhism Today Reading Group read this book. It's an interesting book because there are three voices speaking throughout. Dogen's Sansuikyō (Mountains and Rivers Sutra) kicks things off. Then there are 52 teachings by Soto Zen priest Zoketsu Norman Fischer, each paired with a suggested practice from Kuya Minogue and/or members of a yearlong group that studied these teachings with Kuya Minogue.

Bottom, center: Receiving the Marrow: Teachings on Dogen by Soto Zen Women Priests, edited by Eido Frances Carney. This includes eleven commentaries by female Zen priests on Shobogenzo essays/fascicles. I'm looking forward to this one, especially since I've had the opportunity to sit with the editor.

Bottom, right: Master Dōgen's Zazen Meditation Handbook: A Translation of Eihei Dōgen's Bendōwa, with commentary by Zen Master Kōshō Uchiyama Roshi, translated by Shohaku Okumura and Taigen Daniel Leighton. I'm interested in this one partly because of the master and disciple relationship of Uchiyama and Okumura and how it is informed by Dogen's Bendōwa. It's another book-lenght commentary on a single fascicle.

ANORA

Anora (2024) directed by Sean Baker. 

It won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Mikey Madison), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing at the Oscars. Was it a bad film? No. Do I want to see it again? No. It reminded me of Uncut Gems in tone, atmosphere, and editing. (And I don't get the best film editing win at the Oscars. It feels "jumpy" to me at times. Frenetic.)

There's a lot of sex, but it isn't sexy; instead it's a bit soulless. There's not a lot of violence, but, strangely, it felt like it should have been more violent. It's a Romeo and Juliet, opposite side of the tracks type of story. It's also a story of bratty rich aimless young adults, a la Less Than Zero. And it's about the power of money. There is the hidden hope of tenderness tucked away, which ultimately redeems the movie.

Other echoes: Pretty Woman (1990), Saltburn (2023), Fresh Horses (1988).

Streaming on Hulu.