I am currently reading/studying Francis Cook’s Record of Transmitting the Light and Lex Hixon’s Living Buddha Zen. Most of my normal commentary will take place with my sangha, as it is a sangha book club reading. Here on my little blog, I am going to approach things a little differently with my readings.
First, both of these books are about Keizan Zenji’s Denkoroku. Both of these books are first and foremost a translation of the Denkoroku, one a literal translation and one more of a personal translation. The Denkoroku is a Buddhist genealogy of sorts, tracing the ancestors from Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, to Keizan’s own master.
Often, I find myself digging a little too deeply. Becoming overly analytical, trying to read between the lines too much. So, before I even begin to think too deeply upon the words, I am going to write down my first impressions.
Now, at first I began to write a few chicken scratches in the margins of my impressions of the texts, but quickly realized this wouldn’t do. The few chicken scratches turned into many and I was right back at the beginning of that long, winding, analytical road. So, in order to focus my mind on the basics, on that first impression left by the reading, I am limiting myself to haiku. Why haiku? It’s simple. I won’t try and and twist my head around a rhyme. I don’t have to set an arbitrary word limit to my initial impressions, which I would then be tempted to break. The limit is already set, the formula is precise and forces one to stick to the point. In other words, haiku allows me to turn of my analytical mind and hopefully will help enable me to capture at least a wisp of the heart of each ancestor.
