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Brian Wilcox, 'Visions of Blue'
The Zen master, Sushan Kuangren, said to a senior monk, "The true Truth-body of Buddha is like empty sky. It manifests its form corresponding to things-just like the moon on the water. How do you explain this corresponding?" The monk said, "It's like a donkey looking into a well." Sushan said, "That's a good way to say it, yet that's only eighty-percent." The monk spoke, "What do you say, master?" "It's like a well looking at a donkey."
* * *
The Presence is everywhere, inside and outside you and not in buildings made of wood and stone. Divide a piece of wood; I am there. Lift a rock; you will find me.
*Gospel of Thomas
* * *
The Sage shared a wisdom-talk, "You're Seeing God Everywhere." One present said...
I've never seen God.
How not?
How's it possible?
How it's not impossible.
How's it not impossible?
How it's possible.
Please clarify. I don't understand.
Many gather around the well, and there's no water there.
I'm not seeing what you are saying.
Many gather around the well, and there's water there.
I'm still not seeing.
I see.
* * *
On another occasion, the Sage was asked, "What is it that keeps me from seeing God?" The Sage said, "Your idea of God. You're not seeing God. You see an idea." "What am I to do, then?" "Forget about seeing God."
* * *
Jesus speaks in the Gospel, "How blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." This seeing is not for after the death of the body. If one does not see God now, with the body, why would he or she logically think it possible to see God later, without the body? This seeing is like Buddhists saying that samsara (this world of suffering) and nirvana (freedom from this world of suffering) is one. Yet, in our duality, we keep dividing Reality. We keep mistaking difference for separation; we keep equating oneness with sameness, so saying the Harmony is not harmonious.
* * *
As said Jesus to Philip, one of his followers, in the Gospel of John...
Philip spoke to him, “Master, show us the Father, and that will suffice for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you haven’t come to know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you trust that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you, I don't speak on my own; but the Father living in me does His works. Trust me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me—or at least trust because of the works themselves."
The Gospel of Thomas has, "He said, 'Lord, many are gathered about the well, but there's no water to drink.'" The well is empty for one who cannot see, that one will remain thirsty; the well has water for one who sees, and that one will quench the thirst."
* * *
We return to the well and the donkey. The correspondence of Life, says the monk, is like a donkey looking into a well. The monk got that part right, for a donkey can see itself in the well-water. However, that is not the full truth. Says Sushan, "It's like a well looking at a donkey." The seeing is only possible due to the Harmony of donkey and well-water and seeing; the donkey looking into the water and the donkey in the well-water looking back. The well-water shows the donkey the donkey, while the donkey show itself to the well-water.
This is seeing. The Harmony expresses as donkey and well-water and seeing, all happening in reciprocity. Seeing God is the same oneness in the Harmony. Seeing God is in the seeing.
seeing God means
God seeing you
you may not see
this seeing
if you do not see
the seeing
you do not
see God
and
God does not
see you
Why?
seeing happens, one
you see this seeing
when pure of heart
the major obstacle for many is
the thought of God they expect to see
or
the ingrained belief
seeing is impossible now
when the heart is pure
one cannot not see
not looking to see
one sees
without the thought "God"
sees God
God is not an object
to see
donkey looking in well-water
well-water looking at donkey
no donkey, no well
both in the Harmony
the Spirit-of-Things
Spirit, things
both in the Harmony
tongue and taste
tongue, taste
both in the Harmony
seer, seen, seeing
in the Harmony
day welcomes night
dark the light-no hellos, no goodbyes
bushes burning, not burning
everywhere
* * *
©️ Brian Wilcox, 2020
Brian can be contacted at briankwilcox@gmx.com; his book, An Ache for Union: Poems on Oneness with God through Love, is available through major online booksellers, including Amazon and Books-A-Million, or via the publisher, AuthorHouse.
*Notes: the story of the donkey and well," from Book of Equanimity, Case 52, cited in Joanne P. Miller. Zen and the Gospel of Thomas; bushes burning..." alludes to Hebrew Bible, Book of Exodus, where Moses hears the Voice of YHWH speaking to him from a burning bush that did not burn up.
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