A Day Became a Presence

 "A certain day became a presence
to me; there it was, confronting me -- a sky, air, light:
a being. And before it started to descend

from the height of noon, it leaned over
and struck my shoulder as if with
the flat of a sword, granting me
honor and a task. The day's blow
rang out, metallic -- or it was I, a bell awakened,
and what I heard was my whole self
saying and singing what it knew: I can."

Denise Levertov, Variation on a Theme by Rilke
(The Book of Hours, Book I, Poem 1, Stanza 1)

Falling on Deaf Ears

 The Fireplace Records, Chapter 12

Falling on Deaf Ears

 "Mulla Nasreddin was at the teahouse one afternoon when Arif the Hakim Doctor walked in. “How are you, Mullah? I hope you and your family are well,” Arif asked politely. 

“I’m fine, thanks, Arif, but I’m worried about my wife, who seems to have become very hard of hearing. Is there any cure for her problem?” asked Nasreddin.

“Well, some degree of age-related hearing loss is normal,” Arif said. “If you bring your wife to my dispensary, I can check her hearing and prescribe the necessary treatment. But before you do that, you can try this simple test. When you go home this evening, call out to your wife from the gate and see if she hears you. If not, then try speaking to her from the front door and keep reducing the distance until she responds. This way you will be able to gauge how serious her hearing deficiency is.”

Nasreddin thanked the doctor for the free medical advice and headed home. Calling out to Fatima from the gate in the front yard, Nasreddin said loudly: “I’m home, dear. What are we having for dinner?”

 Getting no reply, Nasreddin opened the front door and yelled: “I’m home, dear. What are we having for dinner?”

 Still getting no response, Nasreddin pushed open the kitchen door and repeated loudly: “What’s for dinner, dear?”

Fatima, who was stirring a large pot on the stove, turned to face her husband. “Are you deaf, Nasreddin?” she said angrily, wiping her hands on her apron. “For the third and last time, I repeat: we are having fish stew and pilaf, followed by apricot halva for dessert. And, Nasreddin, please get me some more kindling for the kitchen stove fire.”

Mulla Nasreddin could not hear her very well.  He had a sudden insight.    

My teacher said, "Mulla Nasreddin is often portrayed as a gentle dimwit.  His little tales intrigue us with humor, cleverness, stupidity, and puzzling remarks. Many Zen Koans seem rather dumb, nonsensical, puzzling, and illogical, but seldom as off base as the crazy wisdom of Nasreddin." 

A Student's Considerations:

Look into your own skills and limitations first.
Hearing and listening are not the same.
Get closer and speak softly.  Don't yell so often.
Listen to yourself talking more carefully.
Think and reason before making a judgment.
Ride a donkey or horse--- or walk.
What's with that big hat on Mulla Nasreddin's head?

 

 Related Links, Resources, References

Mulla Nasreddin (1208-1285) 

The World of Mulla Nasreddin. Translated with commentary by Idries Shah. Kindle Scribe, 2020, 493 pages. VSCL, Kindle E Book.

Refer to my Cloud Hands Blog Posts on the topic of Koans/Dialogues.

The Daodejing by Laozi    Best? 

Pulling Onions  Over 1,043 One-line Sayings by Mike Garofalo

Chinese Chan Buddhist and Taoist Stories and Koans

Taoism

Buddhism

Fireplaces, Stoves, Campfires, Kitchens, Pots, Firewood

Chinese Art

Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong

Meditation Methods

Zen Koan Books I Use

Song Dynasty, China, 960-1279  

Koan Database Project

Brief Spiritual Stories, Dialogues, and Encounters
Zen Buddhist Koan Collections
Bibliography, Quotations, Indexing, Notes, Resources
Research by Michael P. Garofalo

The Fireplace Records By Michael P. Garofalo

Pulling Onions by Mike Garofalo

Here are a few selections from a collection of 1,043 one-liners (i.e., quips, quotes, aphorisms, jokes, observations, etc.) from Pulling Onions by Michael P. Garofalo:

Mother Nature is always pregnant. 
Time creeps, walks, runs and flies - it is all about moving things. 
Chaos breaks its own rules to allow Order to play. 
Dogmatists are less useful than dogs. 
Take life with a grain of salt, and a icy margarita. 
The best things in life are more expensive than you think. 
Rather than "love mankind," I'd rather admire a few good people. 
Some flourish when crowded together, others don't. 
Garbage In, Compost Out. 
It is more about You and Now, rather than Them and Back Then. 
Hunting for tomato worms- no mercy. 
A pocket knife will be its dullest at just the right time. 
While gardening the borders between work and play become blurred.
When gardening, look up more often.
Just the right words can be worth more than a thousand pictures. 
Death's door is always unlocked. 
A flower needs roots; beauty a society of minds. 
A callused palm and dirty fingernails precede a Green Thumb. 
A working hypothesis is far better than a belief. 
Only two percent of all insects are harmful.  Why are they all in my garden? 
Create your own garden, the god's certainly won't. 
That something is eternal is unverifiable. 
Most laws of Gardening are merely local ordinances. 
Failures, disorder and death are the Grim Reaper of Entropy at work. 
Somehow, someway, everything gets eaten up, someday. 
The meaning is lost in the saying - a nature mystic's dilemma. 
Vigorous gardening might help more than a psychiatrist's couch. 
A gardener is no farmer, he is much too impractical. 
No garden lasts for long - neither will you. 
Shade, in the summer, is as precious as a glass of water. 
A wise gardener knows when to stop. 
Gardens are demanding pets. 
Unclench your fist to give a hand. 
The little choices day after day are the biggest issue. 
Gardening is but one battle against Chaos. 
When life gives you onions, you ain't making lemonade. 
Many friendships are sustained by a mutual hatred of another person or group.
Read until you go to seed. 
Death's door is always unlocked. 
Autumn Yellow, the mirror image of Spring Green. 
What you see depends on when you look. 
Beauty is the Mistress, the gardener her slave. 
One's "true self" is changing and elusive. 
A little of this and a little of that, and some exceptions - these are the facts. 
Does a plum tree with no fruit have Buddha Nature?  Whack! 

-   Pulling Onions by Mike Garofalo  (1,043 One Line Quips)  

 

Go Beyond Surfaces

"A friend's son was in the first grade of school, and his teacher asked the class, "What is the color of apples?"  Most of the children answered red.  A few said green.  Kevinn, my friend's son, raised his hand and said white.  The teacher tried to explain that apples could be red, green or sometimes golden, but never white.  Kevin was quite insistent and finally said, "Look inside."  Perception without mindfulness keeps us on the surface of things, and we often miss other levels of reality."
-  Joseph Goldstein, Insight Meditation

"It takes a little talent to see clearly what lies under one's nose, a good deal of it to know in which direction to point that organ."
-  W. H. Auden    

"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see."
-  Edgar Degas   

The Five Senses

Vision, Perception, Observing, Seeing