Van Onder Naar Boven & vv

God

(overgetypt uit: "Teaching of the Great Mountain", zen talks by Taizan Maezumi.
Dit stukje had ik ook op 13 december 2003 geplaatst en doe dat nog een keer omdat Aukje vandaag een stukje over geloof heeft geplaatst.)

Do you believe in God?
That's a very interesting question, more than interesting,
it's a quite serious question.

When we as Buddhists are asked,
how do we answer?
It can happen to any of you, anytime.
How do you answer it?
Most of you were raised in the Judeo-Christian tradition
and people expect you to have some understanding
and maybe even faith of belief.

But for me too, if I'm asked that question,
how am I supposed to answer, see?
In fact, it happened twice very recently.
One time I answered that I definitely believe in God,
at another time I said, definitely I do not believe in God.
Why?
Because I always tell the truth!
I mean it.
Do you know what I mean?
Since the question is posed
from a relative perspective or sphere,
the answer is always yes and no.
And either way is true.
So I quite happily say yes one time
and I say no another time.
Nothing wrong with it.
Is it right or wrong?
Is anyone right or wrong?
That's my joke!

When we are asked whether God exists or not,
our belief makes a difference, of course.
Whether you answer yes of no
depends on your belief or understanding
of who God is.
But we understand everything
in a way as much as we understand,
and that isn't necessarily true understanding
of who God is.
It rather openly invites arguments and questions.

What did Buddha say about this?
If Buddha was asked the same question
what would he answer, and why?
He himself was born in a rather high class
and his family followed the Hindu tradition.
They had of course the god Brahman.
Nobody denied his existence.
But do you know what kind of attitude Buddha took?
We can definitely learn from him.
He said, we don't really know what God is
and I will not spend any time trying
to know what is unknowable.
So he had a very pragmatic attitude.

Many people talk about God
and of course for those who believe
in the fact that God exists,
sure, God exists.
Why not?
But what about those who don't?
And we shouldn't mix things up.
Whether we have faith or belief in God or not
and whether God exists or not,
are two different things.

Some believe in God and some don't
it's none of our business.
In a way yes, in a way no.
And if I do not know what God is,
if I don't have faith in God
as it is usually understood, that's fine too.
I can survive without having faith in God.
But it has nothing to do with whether God exists or not.
Personally, I'm quite happy and content
without having the blessings of God.
The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are enough for me.

I'm sure, here in Salt Lake City
you encounter questions about God constantly,
since you're almost a neighbor of the Mormon Temple.
Everybody knows this is a very strong center of the LDS church.
And I want you to have very clear answers.
Not everyone of you needs to say the same thing -
then it sounds fishy!
You all have your own very distinct understanding
or appreciation of who or what God is,
and whether you believe in Him or not.

However you answer,
it's fine.
But you should have faith
in what you say!

Just don't say, "I am God,"
because it is not true!
Buddha never said that kind of thing.
How you phrase your answer is a very delicate matter.
With words you can so easily hurt other people
and that much you hurt yourself.
So be careful about that.

And even Buddha -
if you're asked by anybody
"Who is Buddha?"
how do you answer?
It's not easy, see.
And if you're asked further,
"What's the difference between Buddha and God?"
how do you answer?
If you grew up in the Judeo-Christian tradition,
you are supposed to believe in God.
Just one God!
So what is Buddha?
Buddha is not only Shakyamuni Buddha,
he is one of the transformations of Kannon Bodhisattva.
So I disagree if you say, "I am God."
but if you say, "I am Kannon Bodhisattva,"
I will smile.

Whether or how you believe in God
is a very serious question for all of us.
Especially here for Kanzeon Sangha.
since you live so close to the Mormon temple.
How do we coexist with other religious groups?
- even on the same street!
So I think it's wise to be well prepared
And if you have any excellent answers
before I leave,
please let me know!

Mmmm

Ik geloof dat alles het hier weer doet.

Pan

Ik ga er weer even vandoor met de pan.

Cirkels in cirkels, etc..

lente-zomer-herfst-winter
geboorte-jeugd-volwassenheid-ouderdom-dood
opstaan-actie-ontspannen-slapen
...

Commentding

Doet vreemd, maar doet het wel. Even laten lopen en dan vensterwegklikken werkt.

Mmmm

Ananas snijden, aardbeien staafmixen, stuk chocoladetaart/cake/staaf/iets van Aukje en Edwin erbij en een stukje limoen.

Muzikale omlijsting (klik)

Voortgang (3)

Het bed bad is geplaatst! Voorlopig heb ik nog even de oude kraan teruggehangen.

Voortgang (2)

De badkamer/zolder is nu met watervast groen gips 'bekleed'. Dit gaat volgende week getegeld en gestucd worden. De vloer van de badkamer is overal op afschot gemaakt naar de doucheput/rooster. Er is geen drempel tussen douche- en badkamervloer.

Wijze les (4)

Denk ook aan anderen en dan kom ik weer bij (1)

Ik heb wel eens gelezen dat als je gezond eet, gezond leeft je geen deo hoeft te gebruiken omdat je dan weinig afvalstoffen produceert. Ook denk ik wel eens dat de deo-industrie mensen afhankelijk heeft gemaakt doordat je eerst moet ontwennen/afkicken voordat je weer anders ruikt. En ook denk ik wel eens dat misschien de "normale" riekende lucht niet zo vies zou zijn als ie meer geaccepteerd zou zijn als bijvoorbeeld lekkere uienlucht, frituurlucht. Quan (heel bijna 4) en Yaika (1,5) komen soms met groot plezier op de wc kijken: zou hun reukvermogen nog niet zo ontwikkeld zijn of zijn ze nog niet geconditioneerd?

Ik ga zo weer aan mijn badkamer werken, nadat ik de poepluier van Yaika heb verschoond.

Wijze les (3)

Beter gebruik je niets: beter voor jezelf, beter voor het milieu.

Wijze les (2)

Beter gebruik je een roller.

Wijze les

Altijd uitademen als je deo sprayt.

Voortgang

Tegenzet

Tegen de middag nodigden we Marloes en de Man uit om te komen eten: "Ja!" Daarom snelde ik naar Scheveningen om verse vis te halen, voordat zij met Gaston zouden arriveren.
Het was wel een beetje druk met de kinderen en daarom lieten wij de kinderen eerst eten. Marloes en de Man ontpopten zich tot heerlijke sushi-eters.
Natuurlijk hebben we ook nog een potje Catan gespeeld.
Ik won niet. :)

Tekst is volledig gepikt en aangepast.

Huh?

"Met wereldsterren als Elvis Costello (foto) en Carlos Santana is vrijdag de voorlaatste North Sea Jazz in Den Haag begonnen. Vanaf 2006 wordt het beroemde festival gehouden in Ahoy' in Rotterdam. Maar voor een uitverkocht huis gingen gisteren jazzrockbassist Jaco Pastorius, pianist Dave Brubeck met zijn kwartet en de Nederlandse pianist Michiel Borstlap met landgenoot DJ Maestro nog eens ouderwets in Den Haag te keer."

Uit de Haagsche Courant (internet) van afgelopen zaterdag.

Link 1
Link 2
Link 3

Badkamer thuis

Dit is onze huidige gestripte badkamer, gedeeltelijk alweer in opbouw zoals aan de binten te zien is. We hebben de vloer overal zo op hoogte gebracht zodat later de hele vloer afloopt naar het toekomstige doucheputje.
Ons huis heeft vroeger uit twee appartementen bestaan, dus douchen kunnen we nog in de 'kast' beneden. Wij zijn dus nog friiiiiis.

Prijsvraag (2)

Eergisteravond ging ik de deur uit met een pan en liep zo'n tien minuten ver en liep vervolgens weer met de pan naar huis terug. Dat moet er toch gek uit zien om een uurtje of twaalf. Gisternacht iets later liep ik weer met die pan de deur uit naar diezelfde plek om vervolgens weer terug te lopen. Een half uurtje later ging ik weer met die pan de deur uit, deze keer op de fiets naar een iets verder plekje.
Wat loop ik nu toch te doen met die pan?
"Heeft het zin?" vraag ik mezelf af.

De eerste die het naar mijn inziens goede antwoord geeft krijgt een zennerig boek toegestuurd. Mensen aan wie ik verteld heb wat ik aan het doen ben, vraag ik om niet te antwoorden.

Flexibel

Soms is het handig om een woordelijk houvast te hebben voor de dag. Dit kan dan weer leiden tot inflexibiliteit.

Moord

De mug moest het ontgelden.

Voor Marloes

Klik!

Ik stel me zo voor:

Muzikale omlijsting (klik)
(Windows als je 404 krijgt: erop klikken met rechtermuisknop en opslaan als)

The lyrics to Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen, by Mary Schmich:

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

Van deze site geplukt nadat we de film "The Big Kahuna" had gekeken.