"The twittering yellow thrush rests on the corner of the mound. If a
man fails to rest in the place meant for him, does it mean that he is
inferior to this bird?"
I have loved this quote ever since I first read it. It's from a 18th
century Japanese playwright whose plays are superb. What are your
thoughts?
(H)
I love this. The image reminds of those beautiful works of Japanese art whose subjects are akin--birds, branches, flowers.
ReplyDeleteWhile still according respect to the beauty of the poetic image itself, several questions come to my mind, which are not concerned with Monazaemon's intentions but instead with an exploration of some interlocking themes: are we to assume that the place "meant for" the yellow thrush is this particular corner? Or is it more important that he is simply resting? We can assume that the thrush will not stay on this spot forever, or even for very long--he'll have to go search for food at some point. But it seems that the future activity of the thrush is not the point--what we are focusing on here is a particular moment. And it is perhaps indicative of Monazaemon's point that I would ask such a question about the thrush's future activity. How would such an animal treat the future? Do animals anticipate?
How did this thrush find this particular spot? Perhaps the point is that he did not find a particular spot, but that any spot can be the "place meant for him." There is the particular conviction that we feel time to time that wherever we happen to be--circumstantially, emotionally, physically--is a suitable place, and can be loved and rested in as such.
What are the relationships between contentment, acceptance, resignation, and complacency?
(J)
I've recently picked up daily meditation again, after months of hiatus, and I was thinking about this quote the other day after a good session. I prefer to practice concentration right now, counting with the breath. I noticed that there is usually an initial period of about ten minutes where I crave stimulation, whether from media outside or my own thoughts--my memories, plans, etc. But as the counting and breathing continues unperturbed, this craving begins to subside and I am left with the counting and breathing for longer intervals (just a few seconds, for me). Anyway, I was thinking in terms of the yellow thrush: when the craving for stimulation subsides, I am left in one place, and the meditation then becomes a practice in resting in that one place. I think to myself, in that state, what if, having lived as a normal human, I were suddenly changed into a being that could only count and breathe, but I still remembered what it was like to be stimulated in the ways I was used to? That is the challenge to me, to rest in this place without trying to go somewhere else. And the more I practice remaining in that place, the more comfortable it becomes.
ReplyDeleteYou've been meditating much longer than I have, so I would love to hear your opinions about it.
(J)