tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265511791146423221.post7245517277487841823..comments2023-10-28T02:59:37.028-07:00Comments on E m e r g i n g ...Q u a k e r i s m ..L i t e r a t u r e ..R e l i g i o n ... L i f e: Strawberry ParableDianehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12396312339372162866noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265511791146423221.post-70548709557359744552010-07-29T12:19:05.062-07:002010-07-29T12:19:05.062-07:00The bit about the two mice has special, though per...The bit about the two mice has special, though peripheral, significance. They represent the illusion or the manifestation of duality.<br /><br><br><br />The parable still makes sense without them, so I always wonder why the Buddha brought them into the story. I've come to name them This and That. If you're the guy hanging from the vine, your mind might take refuge from its fear of the tigers by instead wondering endlessly about the two mice. But whether you obsess about them or not, whether you think dualistically or not, they are still gnawing at the vine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265511791146423221.post-63924962817537752052010-07-28T16:16:38.382-07:002010-07-28T16:16:38.382-07:00It seems to me that it might be about appreciating...It seems to me that it might be about appreciating the wonders of the moment even when things seem at their worst. Although I'm sure there are many other interpretations and lessons to be learned.Katenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265511791146423221.post-20322308994219356862010-07-13T06:12:50.591-07:002010-07-13T06:12:50.591-07:00Me, oh yeah.Me, oh yeah.Dianehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396312339372162866noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-265511791146423221.post-44932388429173038152010-07-12T18:44:14.044-07:002010-07-12T18:44:14.044-07:00Hi, Diane!
This story is attributed to Gautama hi...Hi, Diane!<br /><br />This story is attributed to Gautama himself, but it is nonetheless a Zen story, and like all Zen stories, it embodies a riddle that the hearer must work out for her- or himself. An explanation received from another person will never satisfy, for the precise reason that it is not the sort of explanation the story requires. The true explanation can only be one that is unlocked from within your own body of experience and rings true to every atom of your being.<br /><br />That being so, I hesitate to comment. But were I a Zen teacher, instead of a Conservative Friend, I might ask: Can you describe the taste of this strawberry?Marshall Massey (Iowa YM [C])http://journal.earthwitness.org/noreply@blogger.com