Comments on: Dogen again http://www.numenware.com/article/312 Religion. Brain. Dogen. Language. Japan. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:34:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Lisa Melyan http://www.numenware.com/article/312#comment-143 Lisa Melyan Wed, 20 Apr 2005 06:44:33 +0000 http://www.numenware.com/article/312#comment-143 You say you do not know what it means to be “enlightened by all things,” and perhaps you take issue with the phrase “actualized by myriad things” as well. These phrases and Dongshan’s “teaching of the inanimate” have jumped out at me as my practice has deepened, and they have the ring of deep truth in my direct experience of reality. The concept is concrete, not wishy-washy, in my experience. I believe it refers to the ability to respond in all conditions, to start from zero and simply respond spontaneously. When I quickly jump over rocks and driftwood at the beach, I am being enlightened by those things, “actualized” by them- jump here, turn here. No thought. Those who think think think (should I step here, I’m not sure) are stuck at the other end of the shoreline. You say you do not know what it means to be “enlightened by all things,” and perhaps you take issue with the phrase “actualized by myriad things” as well.

These phrases and Dongshan’s “teaching of the inanimate” have jumped out at me as my practice has deepened, and they have the ring of deep truth in my direct experience of reality.

The concept is concrete, not wishy-washy, in my experience. I believe it refers to the ability to respond in all conditions, to start from zero and simply respond spontaneously. When I quickly jump over rocks and driftwood at the beach, I am being enlightened by those things, “actualized” by them- jump here, turn here. No thought. Those who think think think (should I step here, I’m not sure) are stuck at the other end of the shoreline.

]]> By: Vincent Henderson http://www.numenware.com/article/312#comment-97 Vincent Henderson Sun, 20 Mar 2005 08:55:04 +0000 http://www.numenware.com/article/312#comment-97 Beyond simply illustrating a translation case, the above post shows, when one compares the initial translation example with your new proposal, how cultural clichés are created or maintained through translation of original works. It’s no wonder that eastern philosophies are so ill-understood in most of the western world, when most of what we are exposed to of eastern thought is presented more often in the “be enlightened by all things” (holliwood-style wishy-washy “transcendental” hogwash) version, rather than the “trust reality” (pragmatic, understandable philosophical proposition) one. Beyond simply illustrating a translation case, the above post shows, when one compares the initial translation example with your new proposal, how cultural clichés are created or maintained through translation of original works.

It’s no wonder that eastern philosophies are so ill-understood in most of the western world, when most of what we are exposed to of eastern thought is presented more often in the “be enlightened by all things”
(holliwood-style wishy-washy “transcendental” hogwash) version, rather than the “trust reality” (pragmatic, understandable philosophical
proposition) one.

]]>