Antique Samurai Helmet — Photo-Artistry by kenne
“The Truth is realized in an instant; the Act is practiced step by step.”
―
Archive for the ‘Zen Quote’ Category
Antique Samurai Helmet 1 comment
American Coot Leave a comment
American Coot, Sweetwater Wetlands (October 6, 2021) — Image by kenne
Don’t call me a duck
Because I float on water
I’m just an “old coot.”
— kenne
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Cardiac Relief 3 comments
“Cardiac Relief by Nicholas D. Moffett, Benson Sculpture Garden, Loveland, CO (July 31, 2017)
— Image by kenne
A haiku is not a poem, it is not literature; it is a hand becoming,
a door half-opened, a mirror wiped clean. It is a way of returning
to nature, to our moon nature, our cherry blossom nature, our
falling leaf nature, in short, to our Buddha nature. It is a way in
which the cold winter rain, the swallows of evening, even the very
day in its hotness, and the length of the night, become truly
alive, share in our humanity, speak their own silent
and expressive language.
– Haiku: Eastern Culture, 1949, Volume One, p. 243.
Translations and commentary by Reginald H. Blyth
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Sneezeweed & Ferns On Mt. Lemmon 1 comment
Sneezeweed & Ferns On Mt. Lemmon — Image by kenne
I have realized that the past and future are real illusions,
that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is.
— Alan Watts
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Macromeria Wildflower Leave a comment
Macromeria Wildflower — Image by kenne
“Voidness is that which stands right in the middle between this and that.
The void is all-inclusive, having no opposite – there is nothing
which it excludes or opposes. It is living void because all forms come out of it
and whoever realizes the void is filled with life and power and the love of all
human beings.”
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Ragleaf Bahia Wildflower and Honey Bee Leave a comment
Ragleaf Bahia Wildflower and Honey Bee — Image by kenne
“When an ordinary man attains knowledge, he is a sage;
when a sage attains understanding, he is an ordinary man.”
— Anonymous
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Mexican Fritillary Butterfly 4 comments
Mexican Fritillary Butterfly on Mahogany Milkweed — Image by kenne
The only Zen you can find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.
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Our Zen Fountain — July 11, 2008 5 comments
(First Posted July 11, 2008)
The Water Flows
It’s hard for me to believe that it was six weeks ago
when I ordered the materials and began the preliminary
preparation for a fountain in our backyard.
There are many reasons why so long,
not the least of which was the delayed delivery of
the fountain pedestal, which finally can in yesterday.
By working with nature, you can look into your own nature.
“The secret of life is enjoying
the passage of time
Any fool can do it”
kenne
Images by kenne
“Everybody is ‘you’. Everybody is ‘I’. That’s our name. We all share that.”
— Alan Watts
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House Wren — An Artistic Technique Leave a comment
House Wren — Grunge Art by kenne
“. . . an artistic technique is discipline in spontaneity and spontaneity in discipline.”
— Alan W. Watts
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In The Moment Leave a comment
Yellow Columbine — Grunge Art by kenne
“The only way we can be free in each moment
is to become what each moment is.”
— Steve Hagen
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Knowing and Not-Knowing 1 comment
Somewhere in the Santa Catalina Mountains, Continuing the Process of Becoming
I may not know where the trail leads,
which is what inspires me to take it.
Knowing and Not-Knowing
We are all concerned with our competence and the competence of others. Most people are interested in being more competent and surrounding themselves with competent people. The key to our level of competence is our level of knowledge.
In Zen practice, knowledge involves the interplay between knowing and not-knowing. However, it is crucial not to conclude that not-knowing means you don’t know. On the contrary, not-knowing means not being limited to what you know.
Maybe things are this way, but perhaps they are not. (Philosophically, it can be important to help people realize what they do not know is a necessary part of knowledge. But such a paradoxical thought, from a learning and teaching point of view, is confronted with the inarticulate expertise of not knowing that you know is a dead end. Thus, we are left with the only position for developing competence being that of knowing what you know.)
Accessing information can help us cultivate our interplay between knowing and not-knowing. As an information seeker and frequent Internet search person, I know we can find information on all things thinkable. Today we have access to more information than ever before, but not all information is reliable.
I shared some thoughts on “Teaching in the Age of Google in an earlier blog entry.” So, if you have a question, want to know how to do something; like to learn how something works; or research a topic, well, just “Google It!” But, how do we determine who are the reliable authorities?
— kenne
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Painted Lady — Zen Art Leave a comment
Painted Lady — Zen Art by kenne
“Once upon a time, I dreamt I was a butterfly,
fluttering hither and thither,
to all intents and purposes a butterfly.
I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly,
unaware that I was myself. Soon I awaked,
and there I was, veritably myself again.
Now I do not know whether I was then
a man dreaming I was a butterfly,
or whether I am now a butterfly,
dreaming I am a man.”
— Zhuangzi
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Skipper Butterfly — Grunge Art Leave a comment
Skipper Butterfly — Grunge Art by kenne
“You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.”
― Alan W. Watts
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Japanese Garden Pagoda 2 comments
Japanese Garden Pagoda — Image by kenne
“What we see as death, empty space,
or nothingness is only the trough between the crests
of this endlessly waving ocean. It is all part of the illusion
that there should seem to be something to be gained in the future,
and that there is an urgent necessity to go on and on until we get it.
Yet just as there is no time but the present,
and no one except the all-and-everything,
there is never anything to be gained—
though the zest of the game is to pretend that there is.”
— Alan Watts
Becoming is Superior to Being 