Interesting. Thanks. Where do you live now?

Edgar


On May 22, 2013, at 7:40 AM, [email protected] wrote:

> Hi Edgar,
> 
> Born and grew up in Indonesia, my native language is Indonesian.
> 
> Siska
> 
> From: Edgar Owen <[email protected]>
> Sender: [email protected]
> Date: Wed, 22 May 2013 07:08:51 -0400
> To: <[email protected]>
> ReplyTo: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [Zen] Re: Zuli Agrees With Bill!
> 
>  
> Siska,
> 
> 
> What's your native language?
> 
> Edgar
> 
> 
> On May 21, 2013, at 8:32 PM, [email protected] wrote:
> 
>>  
>> Hi Bill,
>> 
>> I always like that pond haiku. Unfortunately, I often cannot relate to 
>> poetry other than those in my mother language. And I think poetry are best 
>> left un-translated. 
>> 
>> I'm better with koans....
>> 
>> Siska
>> 
>> From: "Bill!" <[email protected]>
>> Sender: [email protected]
>> Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 08:20:33 -0000
>> To: <[email protected]>
>> ReplyTo: [email protected]
>> Subject: [Zen] Re: Zuli Agrees With Bill!
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> Siska,
>> 
>> Exactly!  The problem with words (phrases really), especially English, us 
>> that our whole language is duality-based.  Even our sentence structure 
>> requires a subject, a verb and an object.  The subject's  actions or 
>> relationship to the object is described by the verb.  There's no way to 
>> adequately represent a totally holistic (non-dualistic) experience in 
>> English.
>> 
>> The closest we can get would be poetry.  Japanese has a form called 'haiku' 
>> which has been used by poets wanting to express their holistic experience.  
>> If you read some of those you'll see they are not only completely focused on 
>> sensory experience, they do so as much as possible without the use of a 
>> subject.
>> 
>> An example is one of the most famous haikus by Matsuo Basho:
>> 
>> Japanese
>> Furu ike ya
>> kawazu tobikomu
>> mizu no oto
>> 
>> Direct English Translation
>> Old pond
>> frog jumped in
>> sound of water
>> 
>> Reasonable English Translation (IMO)
>> The old pond
>> A frog jumped in,
>> Kerplunk!
>> 
>> A Bad English Translation (IMO)
>> A lonely pond in age-old stillness sleeps . . .
>> Apart, unstirred by sound or motion . . . till
>> Suddenly into it a lithe frog leaps.
>> 
>> You can find 28 more translations and a nice commentary on this poem at 
>> http://www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/basho-frog.htm 
>> 
>> ...Bill!
>> 
>> --- In [email protected], siska_cen@... wrote:
>> >
>> > Hi Bill, 
>> > 
>> > > I know what you mean, but 'face-to-face' is commonly use in zen to mean 
>> > > 'one with', or 'not separate from'. 
>> > 
>> > Ah I see... 
>> > 
>> > I also think the term 'one with' is a little bias, but oh well as you 
>> > said, words are limited, dualistic, no matter what we use.... 
>> > 
>> > Siska 
>> > -----Original Message----- 
>> > From: "Bill!" BillSmart@... 
>> > Sender: [email protected] 
>> > Date: Sun, 19 May 2013 10:58:07 
>> > To: [email protected] 
>> > Reply-To: [email protected] 
>> > Subject: Re: [Zen] Zuli Agrees With Bill! 
>> > 
>> > Siska, 
>> > 
>> > I know what you mean, but 'face-to-face' is commonly use in zen to mean 
>> > 'one with', or 'not separate from'. For example many times when someone 
>> > has experienced Buddha Nature they will be reported as saying, "I have met 
>> > Bodhidharma face-to-face and he has not lied" - meaning he has experienced 
>> > Buddha Nature and it is as Bodhidharma (or some other zen master) has 
>> > described. 
>> > 
>> > The problem we always have trying to describe a holistic experience is 
>> > that we have to use a dualistic language to do so. That's why many ancient 
>> > zen masters used non-verbal responses instead of trying to rationally 
>> > explain what they experienced. 
>> > 
>> > ...Bill! 
>> > 
>> > --- In [email protected], siska_cen@ wrote: 
>> > > 
>> > > Hi again Bill, 
>> > > 
>> > > In regards to the duality of no experiencer to the experiences you just 
>> > > discussed with Mike, would you fully agree with Zuli's term 'face to 
>> > > face with the real Buddha'? 
>> > > 
>> > > Siska 
>> > > -----Original Message----- 
>> > > From: "Bill!" BillSmart@ 
>> > > Sender: [email protected] 
>> > > Date: Sun, 19 May 2013 09:12:44 
>> > > To: [email protected] 
>> > > Reply-To: [email protected] 
>> > > Subject: [Zen] Zuli Agrees With Bill! 
>> > > 
>> > > 
>> > > I don't know who Zuli is but that doesn't matter to me. Right's right. 
>> > > ..Bill! 
>> > >
>> >
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> 

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