Words and Phrases

June 06 · Dharma Discourses, Teachings · Annie Dillard, Dogen, Katagiri Roshi, Master Dogen, narratives, relative and absolute, Saying Yes, Spring 2018, stories, Vanessa Zuisei Goddard, Wallace Stevens, Words and Phrases, Zuisei Sensei

by Vanessa Zuisei Goddard, Sensei

The poet Wallace Stevens wrote:

After the final no there comes a yes
And on that yes the future world depends.
No was the night. Yes is this present sun.

The last line of the poem reads, “It can never be satisfied, the mind, never.” Is this true, that the mind can never be satisfied? From a conventional perspective, from the perspective of desire, we would say, “Yes, it’s true.” The mind always wants more and more, and this endless wanting keeps the sense of self going. As Annie Dillard once said, the mind wants to live forever. But is it possible for the mind to be satisfied—to know itself as complete and without lack?

Building Our Beloved Community

April 03 · Beyond Fear of Differences, Sangha News · affirmation, Beyond Fear of Differences, BFoD, diversity, identity, inclusive, LGBTQ+, narratives, social justice, stories

Posted by Danica Shoan Ankele

Among the present blessings of my monastic life, I count the chance to be part of a newly formed collaboration between members of the Temple’s People of Color Tea Group and the Monastery’s Beyond Fear of Differences Planning Group. Together, nineteen of us (about half of us identify as people of color and half as white) are working on creating a more inclusive and diverse community within the MRO. We’ve been referring to our joint group simply as POC/BFOD.