Zendervish, Thanks for this interesting synopsis. It helps put the book and your thoughts on the book into perspective.
...Bill! --- In [email protected], "salik888" <novelidea8@...> wrote: > > Joe and Bill > > I am reading the book, and I get where Mr Kim is coming from . . . > contextually he is grounding Dogen in a particular period of decay comommonly > referred to in texts as a third and final period of Dharma decay in both > China and Japan, but mostly Japan. During this period folk practices, > indigenous magic, Pure Land Buddhism, and Monastic fuedalism was rampant. > What Mr Kim sets out do is position Dogen in both a spiritually relevant > context as well as his own insight into > the metaphysical status of phenomenon as primary rather than chasing after > principles. It is about existential actualities, giving situations supreme > importance -- phenomenon. He, Mr Kim, draws a picture of the darkness of > Dogen's time. His usage, at least in my reading and gist of things, is along > the lines of the reality, (Realist) that Dogen was dealing with while at the > same time looking at the larger picture, the resurrection of a nearly lost > and decaying tradition. How does he find this? Through his encounters with > sitting, koans, and analyzing the inherent flaws in Buddhist practices of the > time that was apocalyptic. It is a sort of mystical intuition that is evoked > in the book through dissatisfaction with Rinzai and Pure Land Buddhism that > leads Dogen to China and the first encounter with the cook. > > One thing that is part and parcel of the wide swath of mysticism as a word, > as an expression of reality, encounters, teachers, mystics, etc . . . is the > idea of Romance . . . we often see great Romance put forth by writers like > Chesterton, Crowley, Jung, Mircea Eliade, Guenon, etc along the lines romance > adventure. Tolkien comes to mind, Grail Legend, Saint Francis in the middle > east, Ibn al Arabis journeys. > > Kim is creating a world of mystery and wonder . . . > > zd > ------------------------------------ Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
