Dec. 19 – 25

Compassion isn’t just offering kind words. Compassion is offering your very being.

– Ezra Bayda and Josh Bartok

THIS WEEK

READING:

Charlotte Joko Beck, Nothing Special,
Chapter: “Can Anything Hurt Us?”, p. 75.

MEETINGS:

All meetings at:
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Common Room
4225 NW 34th St
Gainesville, FL 32605

Dec 16
FRIDAY Evening Zen, 7pm to 8:45pm.
Two sits, chants, dharma talk.
Zen Interviews with Meredith available.

Dec 10
SATURDAY Morning UU Meditative Worship Service, 11am – noon.
A hymn, a 20-min sit, sharing, a reading, discussion, a hymn, a shorter sit, closing.

Dec 20
TUESDAY Morning Zen, 8:30am – 9:30am.
1 sit, discussion.

CASE:

Blue Cliff Record #8 and Book of Serenity #71: Cuiyan’s “Eyebrows”

Towards the end of summer [1], Cuiyan instructed the assembly, saying,”All summer I’ve preached to you, my brothers. Look here, are Cuiyan’s eyebrows still there? [2]”
Baofu said, “The robber’s heart is terrified!”
Changqing said, “They are well grown!”
Yunmen said, “Kan!” [3]

Notes:
[1]: Summer-sesshin for 3 months.
[2]: According to the popular belief a great criminal should lose his eyebrows
as a sign of his coming punishment in hell.
[3]: Literally kan means “barrier” (cf. Mumonkan). In those days this Chinese
word colloquially meant also, “Watch out!” or “There!”

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About mgarmon

b. 1959; grew up VA, NC, AL, GA; also lived in TX, TN, MN, and now in FL; m. 1979; 1 daughter, b 1980; 1 son, b. 1982; div. 1997; m. 2000; Honduran son, b. 1987, adopted 2004; schooled: U West Ga, Emory, Baylor, UVa; UTS; MLTS. Former philosophy professor, now a UU minister and zen student.

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