Earlier in the week, in One & Many, I cited a passage from our friend Wei Wu Wei, in which he proposes that:
"Metaphysically 'mind' or 'consciousness' is neither more nor less singular than it is plural, both of which are entirely conceptual, as is 'mind' itself."
Well, from there, one thing led to another .... until eventually what made sense to do was to place Emmanuel Kant in conversation with Buddhist Pranama. Full transcript here:
chapter one
chapter two
chapter three
The haiku version: best to avoid being stuck in conceptual notions of unity/singularity v. plurality --
a la Kant's "categories of perception" -- but quite excellent to manifest the mystic insight of yogic direct perception, and/or reflexive-awareness direct perception of an unconditioned "ultimate unbounded wholeness."
*
The brief squall passes,-
One drop of water glistens,
One each pine needle.
The third tallest pine
In the grove by the river,
Has been dead for years.
Thanks, Kevin …. beautiful
For me, poetry-writing (and haiku in particular) is one of the best ways of inviting / dropping into “direct perception” — language in the service of <i>listening</i>, rather than a means of overlaying with pre-conceptions …..
Thank you, Elizabeth for your kind words.
Shakespeare wrote, “Brevity is the soul of wit.” And that applies to haiku, and “the thing in itself.”
The sound of the wind,
Hollow stems clack together-
The black bamboo grove.