Sometimes I see a tree in autumn with one remaining leaf. I understand this tree completely.
It is Takuin.
The End, The Beginning
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{ The Writing of Takuin Minamoto }
{ The Writing of Takuin Minamoto }
Sometimes I see a tree in autumn with one remaining leaf. I understand this tree completely.
It is Takuin.
Previous post: Emptiness, Beside Itself
Next post: Memorie
{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }
How Zen! Another modern-day koan… love it!
What does it mean?
Now, what kind of jerk would I be to supply you with meaning, thereby freezing out any hope of discovery on your part?
If you ever see such a tree, you may discover some meaning for yourself. (You could just think about it, I suppose. But thinking is never enough. It is best to really be there, breathe it all in.)
You would be the best kind of jerk for a lazy seeker, I suppose.
It’s Autumn here, and the leaves are falling again, although it’s a bit warmer than usual, which kind of ruins the mood. But, as I was leaving work yesterday I noticed a tree that had lost all but a very few of it’s leaves. All dead, the leaves were, yet some still hung on. I almost took a picture of it, remembering your post. Might still do that.
So I saw such a tree yesterday. I can walk outside at any time today and see it again. Maybe I’ll do that… be there, breathe it all in.
OK, done. I even made a post out of it: http://msayers.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/autumn-tree-single-leaf/
I’m off to contemplate now. Thanks, and have a wonderful weekend!
Thanks, Mike. That was a very nice picture. It is exactly what I spoke of.
Whatever you find is for you alone. You may share it if you wish, but never feel inadequate if you cannot ‘effectively’ express it to others. It is more important to be flexible with our words, as long as the expression is pure.
Understanding is secondary…
I wrote this on my blog in reply to your comment, then saw your comment here. I would’ve put it here, but fate determined the order I guess. Here ’tis.
A tree is known by it’s leaves. It’s a relatively easy thing to walk up to a tree and call it by it’s name when the leaves are green, the shapes perfectly identifiable. The pointed crests of a white oak, the spade-shaped dogwood. When all the leaves have fallen away, the tree somehow loses it’s identity. No name for that tree easily comes to mind. This tree, after months of full bloom, fully and separately identifiable, is naked all but that last vestige of separateness. Soon, with a wisp of air perhaps, the last bit of it’s individual identity will fall away. What will be left then? A tree only. No name, no class, no different than the millions of other sticks poking out of the ground sharing their bare essence with the world. Until…
It may be the shortest post you have ever written, but it is amongst the most beautiful and it doesn’t have to mean a thing
x
Thank you, Lune. Much appreciated…
What is Takuin understanding after the leaf is fallen?
Thank you, Tokumei.
When you see the leaf fall to the ground, follow it with your heart completely.
The only understanding is, there is no after…
Damn, Takuin, if your posts get any shorter, we are going to have to call you “Ramana.” I don’t know how you are going to do Silent posts, though. It would be cool, though. I guess you could turn this into video blog, make short vids of you just sitting.
All kidding aside, you spoke volumes in this short post. Lovely. Just lovely. Thanks.
Tom
Hey, Tom.
It is not that odd – a ‘silent’ post – I’m working on it.
Thanks…
And then the leaf falls.
Beautiful.
A silent post?
Davidya,
I suppose one might be struck silent by a word or a phrase. It has probably happened to each of us (although it might not have been a ‘word’ for some).
By the way, did you intend for your comments below to come out that way? I just want to be sure…
They were an experiment. The first had a bunch of empty space but HTML of course cancels that. Would have to use a bunch of nbsp tags, with breaks so it wraps. The /strong close was kind of a joke.
Playing with ‘silent’ ideas. And I was tired. Packing my mothers apartment. If you’ve had that experience before… (laughs)
/strong
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………….. .. . . ……………………….. . . ….. ………………………………… . . . . . . . …………………….. …………………. .. . .. ………………………………………………………………………. hmm
I am going to set up a meme along these lines, if I may Takuin? Everyone on this comments list will be tagged: “Everything and Nothing : a silent post.”
I’d love to see what everyone comes up with!
x
Sure, Lune. No problem. I’m not sure what that entails, but let me know however it unfolds. Where will you set this up?
Thanks…
I will host it at my blog and tag everyone on this list with instructions, then they create their ‘silent’ post at their own blog with a link back and they then tag some more people to do the same, hopefully there will be a few hundred arising ‘silences’, all manifesting as One of course
I will have it up by tomorrow….
Great! Thanks….I’ll be sure to stop by and see what happens…
Not to put a concept to it (and I am) but in Sanskrit they have a term, Leisha Avidya. It means Remains of Ignorance. I’ve heard talks where they speak of keeping some little ignorance so love and devotion can flow.
(and no jokes about the name. A and Da have different meanings)
Davidya,
Hey, ignorance is fine. Minamoto Takuin means the source of nonsense in a round about way. It is quite true, and I can appreciate the meaning.
I’ll probably write about that at some point.
I’m still sitting with this.. This silence has been a mystery to me, but I feel it in everything im doing, It almost feels like i can see it whenever this body is going through everyday life.
I’m in on the silence post!
Thanks, LS.
I don’t know if it will ever be less of a mystery, but it is not our place to ask for it to be anything other than it is. Which is wonderful.
I’ve always been keen on mysteries, anyway.
Ahhhh… thats so pleasant to hear.
“but it is not our place to ask for it to be anything other than it is.”
It really isn’t and I’m thankful that we have no place to, that the truth shapes us, we do not shape the truth to the personalities need.
“I’ve always been keen on mysteries, anyway.
”
As have I… Thank you Takuin. Takuin is Takuin.
Thank you, LS….
Quoted your post to a friend. (easy to do) They said it wounded like Rumi
Damn! When shall I ever cause my own brand of wound?
OOOps – sorry – ‘Sounded like Rumi’ was the intention. What can I say – I was bagged.
It is done, the silent post has been written, the meme created, the bloggers tagged……have fun!
http://blogwithoutaname.com/a-silent-post/
Thanks, Lune.
It looks to be very successful so far, and it will only grow larger and larger…
Isn’t all of life “fill in the blanks”? What is meaning? Is it intrinsic in all “things” or do we impart it? John and Yoko pointed to this when they released an album with one side of complete silence (until it got scratched up, of course). It’s occurred to me before that I never completely (or maybe even partially) take away from your posts what you intend, Takuin. So where does the meaning, that I understand, come from? Obviously from my own little mobius strip of a mind.
So how is communication accomplished? I mean true communication, where nothing is lost. I guess some would call that transmission. Is it really possible or are we all just kidding ourselves?
Damn, and I try so hard not to be the serious one (laughs).
Eric,
It is only you. That is all that has ever been.
There is nothing to these posts, other than what others take from it, or bring to it. I may intend to play with certain words, or be curious to how it will end up, but once I hit PUBLISH, it is all out of my hands. And it is gone forever.
If two people can come to it, tabula rasa, there is some hope for true communication. If we look at the etymology of the word commune, it means to share and receive. I find this to be a very nice use for the word, and may even be a decent indicator of effective communication.
You might find it very very simplistic, but that is a good place to begin. Are you sharing? Are you receiving?
Blog comments are not really an ‘effective’ form of communication (communication as we are using it to mean here). One might share, but it is difficult to truly receive, as there is far too much time involved.
There is, of course, more life in something unfolding in real-time; a flowing movement with active participants. Perhaps something like Google Wave will be truly helpful on this front. I intend on testing it for myself, but I’ve not been invited yet.
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