Crossing Nebraska

This post is the second of two exploring Uji , that fascicle of Dogen’s Shobogenzo known to many as Being-Time . 'Being-Time' - Part 1 introduced Dogen’s primary thesis, that we are time, by thinking of “it” from an all-encompassing, cosmological perspective and then scaling back down to that of our human experience. This follow-up post will examine some of the examples Dogen uses to convey the nature of this reality that we are time. The following passage is a great place to start: [Being-time] is the actualization of being. Heavenly beings like gods and celestials are being-time. All the things in the water and on land are being-time. The world of life and death and everything in them is being-time; it continually exists, actualizing itself in your present experience. Everything exists in the present within yourself. Continuous existence is not like the rain blown by the wind east and west. Continuous existence is the entire world acting through itself. Consider ...

Introduction: From my first ponderings as a young child intrigued by the deep time of both the fossil record and the cosmos alike, to the graduate level coursework in Einstein’s theory of relativity that I managed to survive on my way to deciding against an advanced degree in physics, I’ve always been interested in the nature of space and time and the answers “out there” waiting to be found. Of course I now know that space and time are not two separate entities at all; rather, they are so inextricably linked as to only meaningfully be referred to as space-time. Ah, but I risk getting ahead of myself. Dogen gazing at the moon I suspect that Dogen Zenji, the 13 th century monk so prominent in Japanese Zen, was likewise interested in what answers might be found “out there.” What else could have motivated him to embark upon a dangerous maritime journey to China in the hopes of assuaging his greatest doubt? In time, however, Dogen came to realize (as did this author) that a...

Each of us desires a life free of suffering. For some, this means accumulating enough money, power, and material things that they might never truly want for safety or comfort. For others, the desire for a life free of suffering entails following a prescribed religious path in order to attain grace and protection in this life and perhaps even paradise in the next. Desire seems especially prevalent in religion and spirituality these days—whether manifested as an insatiable thirst to be right about that which can never be known or in the need to be favored in the eyes of a creator. A more mainstream example of this is the barely veiled covetousness of the so-called Prosperity Gospel, wherein God purportedly shows approval by blessing the faithful with abundance. Consider also the many New Age sorts of spiritual practices related to wealth manifestation, bringing the energy of the universe in line with what we want, and revealing the “true self”—which is really just me after I get everyt...

This post was inspired by a visit to  Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park . It was on that trip as well that I became exposed to the writings of Loren Eiseley —literary naturalist, philosopher, and one of Nebraska’s adopted sons. I’ve enjoyed Eiseley’s work numerous times over the years since then, and even if this post only serves as an introduction to his writings, I will consider it a great success. Please enjoy! Beside An Ancient Waterhole Twelve million years ago, in the savannah-like world of what is now called Nebraska , something that might have looked like the billowing clouds of a gathering thunderstorm began advancing across the land. And as those clouds grew taller and darker and closer, perhaps the animals grazing downwind occasionally lifted up their heads to gaze at them in anticipation of the cool breezes and refreshing water that they might bring. But even as they eyed that approaching storm, the camels...