Good evening!
We are having nice warm weather going around 60. So, we may say the spring evening worth a thousand gold. In Japan snow accumulated to one meter in a day somewhere.
When snow covers all things, the world becomes just white. Dogen’s poem titled Prostration reads:
No winter-grass being seen,
A white heron in snowfield
Hides itself in
Its own form.
Fuyukusaーmo
Mienu Yukinono
Shirasagiwa onoga-sugatani
Mio-kakushikeri
冬草も
見えぬ雪野の
しらさぎはおのが姿に
身をかくしけり
When we prostrate or sit completely, we become white in the white world, completely pure and penetrating, becoming wholly wholesome through and through.
So, Dogen said this is the essential function and functional essence. This is the way to completely become harmonious and unified with the whole world.
Then, our practice goes on with the cycle or the spiral of aspiration, action, awakening, and unconditioned peace, and again aspiration, etc.
And thus the cycle or the spiral of awakening, freedom, unity, love and peace go on endlessly and limitlessly.
These auspicious or virtuous cycles or spirals ever go on wider and deeper in ripple effect and reflections endlessly and limitlessly.
We all need to become wholly wholesome to avoid samsara suffering and live on joy. We hope everyone’s essential function changes the whole world wholly wholesome.
2/17/12
