Posted inDharma, Henry's Messages

Message from Henry: Languages

November 23, 2022

We are opening up the possibility of life without language. When language drops away, so does self. Then we find that there are other languages in which things speak. Breath speaks the language of breath. The heater speaks its language. Wind speaks its own language, sight speaks the language of seeing. And so on. So many languages, so many worlds.

As Dogen said, “When you sail out in a boat to the middle of an ocean where no land is in sight, and view the four directions, the ocean looks circular… But the ocean is neither round nor square; its features are infinite in variety. It is like a palace. It is like a jewel. It only looks circular as far as you can see at that time…

In order to learn the nature of the myriad things, you must know that although they may look round or square, the other features of oceans and mountains are infinite in variety; whole worlds are there.” 

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