A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum

[nagamaki - Franco]

Greetings,

 

Reflection,

 

When I first began collecting nihonto and tosogu,

I didn't paper or have anything restored,

simply because I didn't understand and know any better.

 

When I finally began to understand nihonto and tosogu, 

I papered and restored everything,

simply because I thought that I understood and knew better.

 

Now, many years later,

I find myself no longer papering and restoring everything nihonto and tosogu,

simply because I've begun to understand when I do and do not know any better.

 

 

[kissakai]

Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice

[Curran]

Agreed. +1

[Doug]

According to Seigen Ishin (Ch'ing-yüan Wei-hsin):

 

"Before a man studies Zen, to him mountains are mountains and waters are waters; after he gets an insight into the truth of Zen through the instruction of a good master, mountains to him are not mountains and waters are not waters; but after this when he really attains to the abode of rest, mountains are once more mountains and waters are waters."

 

(D. T. Suzuki, Essays in Zen Buddhism, First Series, 1926, London; New York: Published for the Buddhist Society, London by Rider, p. 24.)

[kissakai]

In Bruce Lees book he say's

Stage 1) A punch is just a punch

Stage 2) A punch is more than a punch

Stage 3) A punch is just a punch

 

Now I see where it comes fro

[Mark S.]

On the back cover of the book "The Sword and the Mind" is the quote:

 

"The final state of any discipline is where you forget what you have learned, discard your mind, and accomplish whatever you set out to do without being aware of it yourself. You begin by learning and reach the point where learning does not exist."