November 09, 2005 - 12:00 p.m.

. Marvelling at the Sea [from Zhuangzi 'Outer Chapters']
  望洋兴叹

[1/5]
秋水时至，百川灌河。经
流之大，两涘渚崖之间，
不辨牛马。
Timely Autumn rains caused numerous streams to channel into 
the Yellow River.  The river course swelled, and between 
riverside and sand banks even cows and horses were difficult 
to tell apart.

[2/5]
于是焉河伯欣然自喜，以
天下之美为尽在己。顺流
而东行，至于北海，东面
而视，不见水端。
And so the river god Hebo was feeling smug, believing his 
river was the center of the world, with everything that's 
beautiful flowing into it.  
Hebo went east with the current and came to the edge of the 
Yellow Sea.  Looking east, the sea was boundless; he couldnt 
see it's limit.

[3/5]
于是焉河伯始旋其面目，
望洋向若而叹曰：“野语
有之曰：‘闻道百，以为
莫己若者。’我之谓也。
The experience had opened his eyes.  Gazing upon the ocean,
to the sea-god he exclaimed: "there is a saying: 'once 
you've heard many theories, you think you're above everyone' 
-I'm just that kind of person.

[4/5]
且夫我尝闻少仲尼之闻
而轻伯夷之义者，始吾
弗信。
Like when I heard there were people belittling Confucius's 
teachings and looking down on Boyi's righteous behaviour- at 
first I couldn't believe it.

[5/5]
今我睹子之难穷也，吾
非至于子之门则殆矣，吾
长见笑于大方之家。”
Now i've seen with my own eyes your boundlessness, I realise
if I hadnt come right to your doorstep it would have been 
terrible: I'd forever be a laughing stock in the eyes of 
anyone of good character."




..........       ..             ..........................
.Rebirth
Buddhism was founded in a Hindu society.  The Buddhist 
appropriation of Hindu reincarnation seems to contradict the 
Buddhist denial of the existance of a soul.  What is 
reincarnated? - what exists now of the me that started 
writing this sentence?
:
rather than a continuum of awareness, it is possible to see 
consciousness as being a sequence of conscious moments; each 
a thought, a memory, a feeling, a perception.  the 
consciousness of a sentient being can be seen as being the 
continuous cycle of the birth and death of these moments. In 
this context, rebirth after biological death is simply the persistence of this process.

derive insight from seeing this cycle of birth and death as 
a passive spectator, freeing yourself from desire.



             =

(scientifically i guess there is rebirth.  Lose 
consciousness => worm food => gain consciousness as a worm.

So eating beef = reincarnating cows?  that's my special 
religion  =)  )





......................................................
bow·er1 
n.
   1. A shaded, leafy recess; an arbor.
   2. A woman's private chamber in a medieval castle; a boudoir.
   3. A rustic cottage; a country retreat.

tr.v. bow·ered, bow·er·ing, bow·ers
    To enclose in or as if in a bower; embower.

[Middle English bour, a dwelling, from Old English br. See 
bheu- in Indo-European Roots.]

.Milton: Paradise(Lost)
"
How from that sapphire fount the crisped brooks,
Rolling on orient pearl and sands of gold,
With mazy errour under pendant shades
Ran nectar, visiting each plant, and fed
Flowers worthy of Paradise.."


.Western Paradise

"...Next you should form the perception of water; gaze on 
the water clear and pure, and let this image also remain 
clear and fixed afterwards; never allow your thought to be 
scattered and lost.

"Once this water has been visualized, envision it as turning 
into ice. Having visualized the ice as brilliant and 
transparent to its depth, see it as turning into lapis 
lazuli.

"After that has been done, you will see the ground 
consisting of lapis lazuli, transparent and shining both 
within and without. The lapis lazuli ground is supported 
from below by majestic golden-bannered pillars made of 
adamant and the seven precious jewels. Each golden-bannered 
pillar has eight corners and eight sides, each side is made 
of a hundred jewels, each jewel shines with a thousand rays 
of light, and each ray of light has eighty-four thousand 
colors, which when reflected in the ground of lapis lazuli, 
look like a thousand million suns, and it is difficult to 
see them all one by one. Over the surface of that ground of 
lapis lazuli there are stretched golden ropes intertwined 
crosswise; divisions are made by means of strings of seven 
jewels with every part clear and distinct.

"Each jewel has rays of five hundred colors which look like 
flowers or like the moon and stars. Lodged high up in the 
open sky these rays form a tower of rays, whose storeys and 
galleries are ten millions in number and built of a hundred 
jewels. Both sides of the tower have each a hundred million 
flowery banners furnished and decked with numberless musical 
instruments. Eight kinds of cool breezes proceed from the 
brilliant rays, causing those musical instruments to sound 
the truths of ‘suffering, emptiness, impermanence and 
non-self.’; such is the perception of the water, which is 
the Second Meditation.









                 ..............
次作水想。想见西方一切皆是大水。见水澄清。亦令明了。无分散意。既见水
已当起冰想。见冰映彻作琉璃想。此想成已。见琉璃地内外映彻。下有金刚七
宝金幢。擎琉璃地。其幢八方八楞具足。一一方面百宝所成。一一宝珠有千光
明。一光明八万四千色。映琉璃地。如亿千日不可具见。琉璃地上。以黄金绳
杂厕间错。以七宝界分齐分明。一一宝中有五百色光。其光如花。又似星月。
悬处虚空成光明台。

楼阁千万百宝合成。于台两边各有百亿花幢无量乐器。以为庄严。八种清风从光
明出。鼓此乐器。演说苦空无常无我之音。

是为水想。名第二观
.............
“次作水想，见水澄清，亦令明了，无分散意。既见水已，当起水想，见水映
彻，作琉璇想。此想成已，见琉璃地，内外映彻，下有金刚，七宝金幢，擎琉
璃地。其幢八方八楞具足，一一方面，百宝所成。一一宝珠，有千光明。一一
光明。八万四千色，映琉璃地，如亿千日，不可具见。琉璃地上，以黄金绳，
杂厕间错，以七宝界，分齐分明。一一宝中，有五百色光，其光如华，又似星
月，悬处虚空，成光明台。”

 
“楼阁千万，百宝合成，于台两边，各有百亿华幢，无量乐器，以为庄严。八种
清风，从光明出，鼓此乐器，演说苦、空、无常、无我之音。”

 
“是为水想，名第二观。”

 
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