michael lambe

Just a short one today. First news is that I think (after much searching, viewing and deliberating) - I’ve found a place to live. It’s near Nijo castle in an old machiya lane. Though an old traditional wooden house - it’s all nice and new and refurbished on the inside. I’m looking forward to moving in March and posting up some pictures/videos and filling you all with deep deep envy.

Next, I had some feedback (yay! feedback!) from the refreshingly intelligent chap I met yesterday, on the topic of yesterday’s meditation. Let me remind you, if you’ve forgotten, how it went:

人の世の_________Hito no yo no_________ In the world of men
幸不幸は________ kou fukou ha__________ happiness or sorrow
不思議のご縁_____ fushigi no goen_________ is but strange chance
よき出合いを______yoki deai wo__________ live for good encounters

Anyway, I was curious as to why the “deai” was written with 合 rather than the more usual 会. So, Mr. Tanaka wrote:

“出会い” is used to describe an opportunity where 2 or more persons meet, whereas “出合い” is used when 2 or more objects meet or join together. For example, when a tributary meets a main stream of a river, the place where they meet is described as the “Deai” of those rivers. They sound simple, don’t they? However, to my perception, it contains so much meaning, because the song at Houzouji is written for any object that exists in this world but it is a message to us all.

We are here as human beings, yet we are, simultaneously, something that is part of the nature. If we define ourselves as just an object which is no more different than the other substances/objects found in this current world, using “出合い” to wish for good encounters would be more suitable than using “出会い”.

Also, my wild guess goes to the point that the “出合い” may be indicating the fact that we are not in the control of which Go En “ご縁” to meet. Go En is something provided. Thus, “出合い” rather than “出会い” insinuates the idea that our life is not driven by ourselves but by someone/something else…

…I may be making the thing so complicated… but as a remark, “Everything will go smooth if you do not stick to it”, that I heard during the talk session conducted by one of the buddhist monks last year was reminded while I was thinking of the difference…

Thanks for that! HJ asked me today if the meditation meant that we should only strive to encounter good things but bearing in mind the above, I think perhaps it means we should strive to encounter the things we inevitably meet in a good way…

Finally, more rather worrying whaling news here. It seems we might be in for another one of those “oops! someone’s been a bit irresponsible!” oil-slick-enviromental-disasters. Goodbye penguins….　泣く