Archive for the ‘Zen’ Tag
(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
(Project Photos)
Images by kenne
“Everybody is ‘you’. Everybody is ‘I’. That’s our name. We all share that.”
— Alan Watts
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Bee On Desert Chicory Wildflower — Computer Art by kenne
“If public lands come under greater pressure to be opened for exploitation and use in the twenty-first century, it will be the local people, the watershed people, who will prove to be the last and possibly most effective line of defense.” — Gary Snyder
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Enso by kenne
The Universe lingers;
I bow my head.
— Ranzan
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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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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. It is important, however, not to conclude that not-knowing means you don’t know. Not-knowing means not being limited to what you know.
Maybe things are this way, but maybe 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 in cultivating 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.
In an earlier blog entry, I shared some thoughts on “Teaching in the Age of Google.” If you have a question; want to know how to do something; want to learn how something works; research a topic, well, just “Google It!” But, how do we determine who are the reliable authorities?
kenne
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Caliche Globemallow — Image by kenne
My legacy –
What will it be?
Flowers in spring,
The cuckoo in summer,
And the crimson maples
Of autumn …
— Ryokan
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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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It’s hard for me to believe that it was six weeks ago 
Images by kenne
