"TA DAH!"

August 23, 2009 Will Simpson

"TA DAH!", number 142 of 188 from Robert Aitken's book Miniatures of a Zen Master.

Any error or confusion created by my commentary on
Miniatures of a Zen Master
is solely a reflection of my own delusion and ignorance.
Any merit generated by this activity is solely the result of
Aitken Roshi's clear teaching and is dedicated to
all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas throughout space and time.

A Cue

August 22, 2009 Will Simpson

"A Cue", number 141 of 188 from Robert Aitken's book Miniatures of a Zen Master.

Yesterday I referred to Aitken as 'the old man', today I'm not so sure. Cues come at us all the time. Some are obvious and some are subtle. It is the obvious ones Aitken overtly refers to in todays miniature. Yet there is a subtle set of cues being talked about here too.

Language is a cue game. Every word is hinting at whether or not we are members of the same community, whether that community is strong or weak, inclusive of exclusive. Do we ever stop with this community building?

Birdle Burble

(For James Broughton)

I went out of mind and then came to my senses
By meeting a magpie who mixed up his tenses,
Who muddled distinctions of nouns and of verbs,
And insisted that logic is bad for the birds.
With a poo-wee cluck and a chit, chit-chit;
The grammar and meaning don't matter a bit.

The stars in their courses have no destination;
The train of events will arrive at no station;
The inmost and utmost self of us all
Is dancing on nothing and having a ball.
So with chat for chit and with tat for tit,
This will be that, and that will be IT!

Alan Watts Nonsense

"On the occasion of Alan Watts' 50th birthday, James Broughton wrote a poem for him. On James Broughton's next birthday, Alan Watts wrote this poem for James. It's called: Birdle Burble"

Found this reference on the internets. Surprisingly little reference to this poem which adds to its mystery.

I found some hint that the poem James Broughton wrote for Alan Watts' 50th birthday was a poem titled "Forget-me-nots For Alan Watts". Near the right vintage but nothing to confirm. Also couldn't find this poem on the internets. It is printed in a couple of books by Broughton.

Hooplas by James Broughton
Special Deliveries by James Broughton

I was caught up short when looking online through a listing of the paper of James Broughton at the Kent Library and found this:

1978, July: Tabernik, Joan Watts To [James Broughton]. Invites him to theinterment of Alan Watts' ashes. Printed Manuscript. 1 p.; 17.4 cm.

Thanks to Matt for pointing out this poem and its mystery.

"Dasa Side"

August 21, 2009 Will Simpson

"Dasa Side", number 140 of 188 from Robert Aitken's book Miniatures of a Zen Master.

In today's miniature, the old man talks of community building. It is sometimes surprising what can pass for 'community building'.

Slang and lingo glue communities. Learning the slang and lingo is the ticket to membership in many communities. Prohibiting the use of slang and lingo are ways that communities are suppressed.

Zen has a surprising amount of jargon. Learning the Zen lingo is a slow and fitful process.

What am I trying to say here? Let's sit and have a cup of coffee.

The only child, the son of a close friend died last Sunday. My heart is heavy with sadness. Life is all around us. So is death. One day we are filled with life the next day death.

Back and forth.

On and on.

This the comfortable method of reality. Bodhidharma knew this when he left India.

Colonel Boogie March

August 19, 2009 Will Simpson

"Colonel Boogie March", number 139 of 188 from Robert Aitken's book Miniatures of a Zen Master.

From WoodenZen

We are in a run of autobiographical miniatures. For some reason these seem less interesting. Today the Roshi reminisces about a show tune he originally heard during his interment. He associates the tune with such a positive experience that he is drawn to see the movie over and over.

Isn't this how we all move through life, somehow drawn to ideas and events by unacknowledged forces. These forces pull and push at us and until exposed to the light of day, we are slaves to their directions.

One path (psychoanalysis) would have us explored each event to discover its root. One path (Zen) would have us drop the whole structure built up around ideas and rooting around in story.

Rooting around in my story. Rooting around in my story. How silly! Make up a story about life, call it mine then root around in it. Try and make it pretty and neat, complain when it isn't smooth, compare it with other made up stories just as screwed up as mine. This scene in the play isn't even funny or even the least bit interesting. Yet I perpetuate it endlessly.

I revised the number of miniatures reported in the book. For some reason I miscounted them. There are only 188 miniatures not 200. I'm not going to change the number on the ones already commented on.

Maybe the universe is inviting me to add 12 of my own?

Here I Come!

August 19, 2009 Will Simpson

"Here I Come!", number 138 of 200 from Robert Aitken's book Miniatures of a Zen Master.

In this miniature, Robert Aitken expresses some of the emotion that he felt during the early stages of his repatriation after being held for almost four years of internment by the Japanese.

One can not make light of this yet it seems odd that an internee would come to embrace his captors culture and religion. This is coming from me, someone who has not had these formative experiences. I guess it could go either way, love or hate. It all depends on how much joriki we have developed.

I'm work on a way to include more woodworking into this site. I took yesterday off work and participated in a "Advance Forest Products Evaluation Field Trip" (technical jargon for a trip to the sawmill). Not any sawmill but Jensen Hardwoods in Walla Walla Washington. Owner/operator, Mark Jensen was very helpful and stayed through his lunch time to help us out-of-towners. This was mostly a scouting expedition.

We'll see what I can produce with the Curly Mango I got. Pictures coming on the newest segmented piece I've finished.

Old Age

August 18, 2009 Will Simpson

"Old Age", number 137 of 200 from Robert Aitken's book Miniatures of a Zen Master.

"Poll: Baby Boomers say old age begins at 80, three years more than US life expectancy. Death is the new Old."

Roland Hedley

Old Age

August 16, 2009 Will Simpson

"Old Age", number 137 of 200 from Robert Aitken's book Miniatures of a Zen Master.