Good morning!
Now we see the half moon and we have 15 degree cold weather here and snowstorms inJapanalso. InJapan, the dream we dream on the first night of the year, called the first dream, is significant. The Japanese traditional motifs in order are No. 1 Mt. Fuji, No. 2 hawks, No.3 egg plants, and No. 4 funerals.
The Japanese ABC song, said to have made by Kukai, tells us the Buddhist ideals:
Even though colors (forms) are fragrant, they fall.
For whom is one’s world permanent?
Today I have surpassed through the deep mountains of karma creations,
neither dreaming shallow dreams nor becoming drunken.
We had better have no dream with sound sleep or no drunkenness of delusion, desire, and divisiveness. By practicing the awakened way we can attain unsurpassed awakening, unconditioned peace, and amrita, ambrosia of immortality.
1/2/13
Note: The Japanese Iroha-uta (いろは歌), ABC song is:
いろはにほへと ちりぬるを
わかよたれそ つねならむ
うゐのおくやま けふこえて
あさきゆめみし ゑひもせす
色はにほへど 散りぬるを
我が世たれぞ 常ならむ
有為の奥山 今日越えて
浅き夢見じ 酔ひもせず
irohanihoheto chirinuruwo
wakayotareso tsunenaramu
uinookuyama kefukoete
asakiyumemishi eimosesu
Iro (lit. color) is form (rûpa, phenomenon).
Ui (lit. being created) is created phenomena (sankhata, cf. a-sankhata: uncreated: nirvana).
