[Dialogue] Grand Design

[Mary D'Souza]

Thank you Steve for sharing this.
Mary

On Tue, May 22, 2012 at 9:23 PM, steve har <stevehar11201 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Jack
>
> I went to the zen center last night with your "provocative
> proposition" in the arena of scientific distinctions vs having a
> getalt, perhaps a mostly christian gestalt that holds heaven and earth
> more or less in the same unifying framework. [my take on your view,
> might not be your take on your view]
>
> The words I carried with me from your last dialogue post were:
>
> ..."You (John Epps) are very kind to Dawkins with your last statement
> "The two can co-exist......" because, although there is a general
> acceptance of evolution by most theologians (but not necessarily to
> the degree of mindlessness that Dawkins advocates), their side
> (Dawkins) does not recognize the other side at all.  All of the wonder
> and mystery will some day be understood as simply brain signals that
> trigger these feelings etc. etc.  So the whole "game" is played on the
> left brain rules of the game; logic, science and language.
> I'm not going to again make the case for an intelligence implicit in
> all things, but the ability to have a purpose to all this requires
> some direction, some purpose behind all the science activity.  The
> capacity to integrate experience and thus evolve into better survival
> capacity requires intelligence. Jack."
>
> For those not acquainted with Soto zen...
> the ceremonial & study group I attended is a tradition of a 100 days
> study group that became a because of the rainy season hundreds of
> years ago which continues today.
>
> There wasn't much for the monks to do except get out of the rain and
> gather together and among other tasks study something. The usual
> routine is
> -listen for the signal of the  "Han" -a wooden hammer striking a
> wooden announcement board inscribed with "the important matter of life
> and death
> -silent siting meditation
> -a 1on1 short private, sometimes public conversation between teacher
> and student often around a
> -a study of some text in sort of a bible study mode or maybe a
> literary seminar group at a college.
>
> I was startled to hear Dosho Port -the seminar leader" take up a 1300
> Century paragraph for Dogen who was the founder of Soto Zen and the
> 1st person to write holy literature in Japanese instead of Chinese;
> sort of like Luther publishing 99 paragraphs in German instead of
> Latin [the real blasphemy'
>
> The paragraph from Dogen was YOUR theme: "Even if there is a
> hair-breath of difference, you ar as far away as heaven from earth.
> This being so, the ultimate way is not difficult, it is just that
> selection is necessary" [talking about Awareness/Enlightenment]
>
> The Rochester Zen Center took up this paragraph which is often treated
> as a zen koan and with poetry like:  "Zin Zin Ming" -- often
> translated as Faith or Affirming Faith in Mind [written by one of the
> oldest Chinese Buddhist teachers a kind of Joe Mathews character]
>
> The Poem talks about the advantages/disadvantages of having
> distinctions or having a unified view and reads in part:
>
> The Great Way is not difficult for those who do not pick and choose.
> When preferences are cast aside, the Way stands clear and undisguised.
> But even slight distinctions made set earth and heaven far apart.
> If you would clearly see the truth, discard opinions pro and con.
> To founder in dislike and like is nothing but the mind’s disease.
> And not to see the Way’s deep truth disturbs the mind’s essential peace.
>
> You can read the whole thing at:
> http://www.rzc.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/RZC-chant-book-cropped.pdf
>
> The Rochester Zen Center has spent some years trying to get the
> Chinese and Japanese into suitable English so it can be made into a
> proper Soto-style chant, which is a little like learning how write and
> perform current hip-hop. You can hear the Rochester Zen Center
> changing this poem here:
> http://www.rzc.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Affirming-Faith-in-Mind.mp3
>
> What's my point:
> 1. Dawkin's view may be a little scientific provincial, like his
> christian debaters are a little christian provincial.
> It is a big world out there.
>
> There are a lot of people trying to find what it means to try to find
> a space to stand in that hyphenated space between This world -- The
> other world.
>
> 2 And it is the reason I like your provocative propositions...and also
> -Joe Mathews talk on the Other World about 1972
> -John Epps 1996+ work on Other World in contemporary language not the
> coded  jargon of 1972  Other World Charts
> -the Jenkins translations of the New Religious Mode Chartes into 21C
> language.
>
>
>
>
> --
> Steve Harrington
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>
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