I began this blog with a strong feeling of purpose, knowing that I wanted to share what I have learned with the world, whether anyone read it or not. The joy was in the writing.
Then after a couple of posts I began to lose forward momentum. ”What is wrong?” I asked myself.
Finally I have begun to understand. Reality doesn’t lend itself well to words. Words are generally used to describe concepts and perceptions. Ultimate Reality lies outside the boundaries of concepts and perceptions. What I mean is, we can learn to perceive true reality, but it is very hard to put into words in a way that will accurately describe it.
OK, impossible!
So, I struggled with my dilemma for days, unable to write, until I finally went back to the beginning. “Zen is like a finger pointing the way to the moon. Don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all the heavenly glory!” (Paraphrase of Bruce Lee in ‘Enter the Dragon’.)
I began to understand. I can only point to things I have learned. This is the purpose of the famous Zen “koans” (stories) that make you think. It’s not the story that is important, merely the thing it is pointing toward. Reality! (more…)
