Good time of night
to be going to bed --
not going to bump
into anybody --
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Monday, August 17, 2026
gobsmacked
He is a frightening man.
“Our enemies are gobsmacked by what’s happening,” [Miles] Taylor predicts. “Under Donald Trump, we’ve walked out onto thin ice and handed our foes a sledgehammer. They must be fist-pumping in foreign briefing rooms.”
With all this in mind, Taylor arrives at a grim conclusion, writing, “Strategically, I believe we are in the most perilous hour of the modern era, and it is peril of our own president’s making. Donald Trump’s real National Security Strategy has been to get revenge against countries that criticize him, to advance his own self interests, and to build bridges to dictators with whom he can work once he leaves office. The great dealmaker has sold us out to the most dangerous nations on earth.” -- --Whistleblower reveals how Trump 'sold out' to US adversaries, (AlterNet)
America is a frightening country.
sola fide, a new view
In a library in a prison we talked
A conversation --
At end, I am educated by his faith
I am not it
but it moves through me
Sunday, August 16, 2026
there’s nothing other to believe in
I am doing Sunday evening practice.
What are you doing?
I am listening to Camus and looking out window.
What do you hear?
Absurdity.
And what do you see?
What is there and what is not there.
Are you alone?
Camus is saying the the absurd is sin without God.
Do you agree?
No. I say that God is absurdity without anything other.
Is God, then, no other?
If God is no other it’s why we do not believe in God.
reluctantly that which dwells near its origin departs
Reading scholarly articles from 2003 Buddhist Studies Review I am taken by how I prefer the ordinary, everyday, quotidian factuality of mere occurrence rather than the fantastical, mythologically embellished supra-extraordinary telling from olden renderings of stories about celestial creatures, beings of incomprehensible deeds, and narratives so out there as to freeze comprehension far short of the ability to say ‘yes, I see!’
The melancholy of worldly things
Can’t match the hills and mountains,
Where green pines hide the sun
And jasper streams flow long.
Mountain clouds are my tent,
The night moon is my fishing hook;
I sleep beneath wisteria,
My pillow a block of stone.
I don’t look up to the Son of Heaven;
Why should I envy lords and kings?
Life and death with no worries;
What sadness could there be?
--Wang Fanzhi (7th c)
Wang Fanzhi (Chinese: 王梵志; pinyin: Wáng Fànzhì; Wade–Giles: Wang Fan-chih, fl. 7th century) or Brahmacarin Wang[1] was a Chinese Buddhist poet born in Hebi, Henan during the Tang dynasty. He is the putative author of two collections of early Tang vernacular poetry. The language can be dated to the 8th century. Very few of the poems were known until the Dunhuang manuscripts were discovered in the early 20th century. --wikipedia
Give me a dog slowly wagging its brown tail walking into room ready to go outside. Or the crows yapping before 6AM out over the barn. Or the cranky cats trying to scratch each other's noses for the crime of walking past the other too slowly.
There is no peignoir here to be complacent. Only the early drivers and bicyclists navigating the road between mountains settled in breezeless stillness.
The gods, (who said it?), who have disappeared behind the clouds will reappear from the center of the earth.
Those of us who do not walk up the stairs of a public church, temple, or zendo have only the distant barking of a dog, the circling of carrion, and the light exhalation of leaf-passing breeze to speak to us of the holy.
There is a sense of nearing. We are no longer far from things. There are whispers. Those who covet rituals practice with sincerity the rituals they choose. Some of us sit in dooryard facing, front and back, holy mountains. God, or the gods, if such are to be named, grow berries on drooping branches over rusted dinghy trailer by property fence.
There's a price to be paid for going deeper into the commotion of the world. There's an equal consideration to be made when sinking into the facticity of the holy.
Schwer verlässt
was nahe dem Ursprung wohnet, den Ort.
Reluctantly
that which dwells near its origin departs.
(--"The Journey," Freidrich Hölderlin, verses 18-19)
There is a language of words as well as a language of silence. Which we cultivate has implications we've yet to consider.
"Man speaks only as he responds to language.Language speaks.Its speaking speaks for us in what has been spoken:"(--Martin Heidegger, in Poetry, Language, Thought)
Sunday morning is a good time to contemplate each of the languages around which we are surrounded.
Here is what I think:
Hör gut zu. Werde zu dem Klang, der deine Seele – dein Wesen – nährt.(Listen closely. Become the sound that nourishes your soul—your being.)
Saturday, August 15, 2026
off by myself
Not having friends is not as worrying as you might think.
I am so happy that so many people have so many friends.
All my friends are ghosts in the night.
Yearning for friends in my rocky cave,
I am captivated by the singing of small birds;
The wind entering deep into the grotto
Mingles with the voice of the stream.
Awakening from a dream,
This hermit exists beyond the world.
A quiet life, off by myself,
Fulfills my spirit.
--Fugai Ekun (1568-1654)
Don’t get me wrong, I recommend friendship.
At night, when alone, everything sleeps, the world goes its own way.
It doesn’t surprise that, off by oneself, alone, an unlamenting solitude is navigated.
it doesn’t pay
Responding to nytimes article on heat-related deaths in Europe:
Yes, the climate is changing. However, I’m afraid we humans lack the intelligent resolve to collate facts, causes, and conditions of our plight.
When it becomes profitable to change our errant behaviors, we’ll change them. Until then, we are slaves of profitability and self-interests.
Most corporate and political decision makers would cherish a high quarterly return over some vague 'let’s protect the future' and the lives of our grandchildren, our animals, and the fructifying earth.
quia per te fructum vitæ communicávimus. / because the fruit of the tree of life has been given to us to eat
Something about the Feast of the Assumption of Mary is intriguing:
Benedícta fília tua Dómino :
O daughter, you have been blessed by the Lord:
quia per te fructum vitæ communicávimus.
because the fruit of the tree of life has been given to us to eat.
(Dan. 3: 57-88 et 56) Benedícite, ómnia ópera Dómini, Dómino:
(Dan 3: 57-88 & 56) Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord:
laudáte et superexaltáte eum in sǽcula.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
2. Benedícite, Angeli Dómini, Dómino:
2. Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord:
benedícite, cæli, Dómino.
You heavens, bless the Lord.
3. Benedícite, aquæ omnes, quæ super cælos sunt, Dómino:
3. All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord:
benedícite, omnes virtútes Dómini, Dómino.
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
4. Benedícite, sol et luna, Dómino:
4. Sun and moon, bless the Lord:
benedícite, stellæ cæli, Dómino.
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.
5. Benedícite, omnis imber et ros, Dómino:
5. Every shower and dew, bless the Lord:
benedícite, omnes spíritus Dei, Dómino.
All you winds, bless the Lord.
6. Benedícite, ignis et æstus, Dómino:
6. Fire and heat, bless the Lord:
benedícite, frigus et æstus, Dómino.
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
7. Benedícite, rores et pruína, Dómino:
7. Dew and rain, bless the Lord:
benedícite, gelu et frigus, Dómino.
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
8. Benedícite, glácies et nives, Dómino:
8. Ice and snow, bless the Lord:
benedícite, noctes et dies, Dómino.
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
9. Benedícite, lux et ténebræ, Dómino:
9. Light and darkness, bless the Lord:
benedícite, fúlgura et nubes, Dómino.
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.
10. Benedícat terra Dóminum:
10. Let the earth bless the Lord:
laudet et superexáltet eum in sǽcula.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
11. Benedícite, montes et colles, Dómino:
11. Mountains and hills, bless the Lord:
benedícite, univérsa germinántia in terra, Dómino.
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
12. Benedícite, fontes, Dómino:
12. You springs, bless the Lord:
benedícite, mária et flúmina, Dómino.
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
13. Benedícite, cete, et ómnia, quæ movéntur in aquis, Dómino:
13. You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord:
benedícite, omnes vólucres cæli, Dómino.
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
14. Benedícite, omnes béstiæ et pécora, Dómino:
14. All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord:
benedícite, fílii hóminum, Dómino.
You sons of men, bless the Lord.
15. Benedícat Israël Dóminum:
15. O Israel, bless the Lord:
laudet et superexáltet eum in sǽcula.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
16. Benedícite, sacerdótes Dómini, Dómino:
16. Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord:
benedícite, servi Dómini, Dómino.
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
17. Benedícite, spíritus, et ánimæ justórum, Dómino:
17. Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord: Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
benedícite, sancti, et húmiles corde, Dómino.
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
18. Benedícite, Ananía, Azaría, Mísaël, Dómino:
18. Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord: Praise and exalt him above all forever.
laudáte et superexaltáte eum in sǽcula.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
19. Benedicámus Patrem et Fílium cum Sancto Spíritu:
19. Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit:
laudémus et superexaltémus eum in sǽcula.
Let us praise and exalt him above all forever.
20. Benedíctus es, Dómine, in firmaménto cæli:
20. Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven:
et laudábilis, et gloriósus, et superexaltátus in sǽcula.
Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all forever.
Benedícta fília tua Dómino :
O daughter, you have been blessed by the Lord:
quia per te fructum vitæ communicávimus.
because the fruit of the tree of life has been given to us to eat.
she disappeared into the center
Sweet coolness
Of morning —
Why does someone
Want us to believe
Mary was assumed
Into heaven?
There’s something
Odd about God
Mary tries to bring
God to earth
Then, after long
watching
She disappears
As we all will
There’s enough truth
Here to confound
Each
Of us
Friday, August 14, 2026
what unkindness doth reek
(for Jason Arday)
Racism kills
I mourn for
Cambridge man
Hounded by
Press and
Administrators
Their fingerprints
All over
His death
passing time
when I awoke
this morning
I fed cats
now
I will feed
dog
soon
go to
prison
there’s
not much
to tell --
it is
friday,
things
are still
things
still are
Thursday, August 13, 2026
new places to live
The elderly nuns (sisters) live in assisted living facilities says nytimes article:
“In the mid-1960s, America was home to more than 180,000 Roman Catholic nuns; now there are only about 35,000, with an average age of over 80. Congregations have had to sell or close their convents, forcing these older sisters to find new places to live.”
Things change.
Sexual abuse by priests and clergy soured much of the church.
These women remained steadfast. Their schools closed. Their convents sold. They scrambled for living accommodations, for medical care.
Soon no one will know about their work and dedication.
Soon we will forget a great deal as cultures disappear.
My classrooms at St. A’s, the eight years, and the black-robed women, remain vivid.
when you and me become we
Do you love God?
Of course I do.
Show me God,
Of course you do.
What are you saying?
Of course we are.
pratītyasamutpāda
Something gave up in me not long ago.
Nothing mattered.
Everything dropped to ground
The fuel in the tea brazier is burnt out,
So I collect pine needles,
The fields of medicinal plants are empty,
So I cut vegetable roots.
Naturally dull, I’ve forgotten Zen activities,
My gate is darkened at noon by
The shade of ancient trees.
White clouds impart a sense of peace
To my Zen meditation,
Green grasses suffice to make a rug for my guests.
What I have collected is a hundred years
Of emptiness.
—Isshi Bunshu (1608-1646)
I wonder about this nothing. I wonder about this emptiness.
Emptiness, or śūnyatā in Sanskrit, is a central Buddhist concept meaning that all things lack an inherent, permanent, or independent self-nature (svabhāva). It does not mean literal nothingness or non-existence; rather, it describes how everything exists interdependently through changing causes and conditions. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Core Meaning of Śūnyatā
- No Independent Core: People, objects, and mental states possess no separate, fixed identity.
- Dependent Origination (Pratītyasamutpāda): Everything arises and continues in relation to other factors (e.g., a plant needs soil, water, and sun).
- Not Nihilism: Emptiness affirms that things function and exist vividly, just without a permanent essence.[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Philosophical and Practical Significance
- The Middle Way: It avoids the extremes of eternalism (believing things last forever) and annihilationism (believing nothing matters or exists). [1, 2, 4, 5]
- Root of Freedom: Clinging to a solid, permanent "self" or "other" causes suffering; realizing emptiness dissolves attachment and fear. [1, 2]
- The Heart Sutra: Famous for the paradox "form is emptiness, emptiness is form," showing that the tangible world and its empty nature are inseparable. [1, 2]
-- search, Emptiness in Buddhism
As the story goes, a man in Palestine a couple of thousand years ago looked at bread and thought "this is what i am."
He was bread.
Today he is in cook-fires, supermarkets, grocery stores, and bakeries across the world.
Just bread.
Our suffering surrounds our desire not to be bread.
Last night I did not eat the piece of bread placed on my plate. My appetite has gone off to visit its cousin in the county. If it returns this morning perhaps I'll dip it in tea and slurp it.
Many people believe the man who is bread is the one who will lead us to enlightenment one crumb one crust at a time.
Nothing would please me more.
I'll originate and depend (Pratītyasamutpāda) on it.
Let's sit together with this!
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