Monday 2 November 2009

The Need for A Certain Detachment

Dry Stone or Zen Garden, Ryoanji Temple, Kyoto, Japan (my photo)

I've been looking for a mantra word today to use to keep a range of ideas at the front of my mind - thoughts related to the greater and lesser degrees of attachment I have to the way others see and judge me. And to the ways I react to this and wish I didn't - somewhat Sartre's 'mauvaise foi'.

So the talisman could be 'detachment'. Which I hope will develop a kind of Buddhist 'attachment disorder'.

There's no crisis going on here - just some calmish reflecting!

I was also thinking how such detachment can be promoted by contemplation, for example, of a Zen garden, like the dry stone garden at the Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto, Japan, designed and laid out in the C15. Which I visited in the late 80s.

Being only 30 by 10 metres, this Zen Garden is small and easy to encompass with your mind.


The fifteen rocks of various sizes are distributed in groups over a raked pebble ground so that only fourteen are visible at any one time and from any perspective - the last appearing in the mind's eye when a state of spiritual enlightenment is achieved.





Needless-to-say I saw only fourteen stones.

And I suspect I'm a very long way off seeing that last one grouped in there with its fellows.

But that's ok!
Posted by at
Labels: , , ,

15 comments:

  1. Alan4 November 2009 at 07:57

    Gives new meaning to the expression "getting stoned"

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rex4 November 2009 at 12:21

    wonderful "textures"

    ReplyDelete
  3. nickwallacesmith5 November 2009 at 02:44

    hey rex,

    and i'm a bit 'texture' addicted myself!

    cya, nick

    ReplyDelete
  4. nickwallacesmith5 November 2009 at 02:44

    hey alan

    and i think just an excuse to post some japan travel photos!

    cya soon, nick

    ReplyDelete
  5. jackscribe5 November 2009 at 06:32

    Nice memories, Nick. I visited Kyoto and the Zen Garden several years ago. Such tranquility and peacefulness. Nice posting.

    ReplyDelete
  6. nickwallacesmith5 November 2009 at 15:46

    hey jack

    nice to know someone who's experienced the zen garden in kyoto - although obviously i couldn't fully experience it in the way a japanese would

    but like u it was a special experience and one i'd like to repeat it

    best, nick

    ReplyDelete
  7. Greg5 November 2009 at 21:43

    There ya go!
    Making me extremely jealous, again, that you could afford to travel!!! lol

    I guess it would have to depend on your beliefs and your state of mind to be able to find that elusive 15th rock.

    ReplyDelete
  8. nickwallacesmith6 November 2009 at 01:09

    hey greg

    i must say when i first traveled it was on a serious shoe string - even now that it's become so crazily expensive - 2 cups of tea and two tiny butter cakes (madelaines) cost $A60 in paris in 2003

    and this month, i suspect that i'm looking for 15th cock rather than rock - which in fact was my quest in japan too - when i found no enlightenment in the zen garden

    cya

    nick

    ReplyDelete
  9. Paul in NYC6 November 2009 at 05:44

    Nick, Ahhhh but true enlightenment can come from the proper contemplation of cock as much as from the proper contemplation of rock. It all has to do with our attachment...or non-attachment, right? And like the perfect host you are, you provide rocks in this post and cocks in the next, some of which are rock hard, thus providing a combination opportunity for your guests to achieve enlightenment. For which we are grateful.

    ReplyDelete
  10. nickwallacesmith7 November 2009 at 04:13

    hey paul

    i was very (very) interested to hear your observations about the contemplative values a dick - and so, just confirm this delicious proposition, we may go out later (it's saturday night here) to our local 'venue' - and report back everything we find! expect a racy comment or email. we'll keep your comments about attachment and detachment in mind on our road to 'enlightenment' - but somehow i feel we might be (purposely) misreading your comment!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous10 November 2009 at 09:48

    I like to notice the fact that the roof of the exterior wall has been repaired several times.

    It simply proves how temporary things of this life really are.

    I used to be 19, what happened?

    Nice pics Nick and by posting these photos it indicates you have certainly achieved a large degree of enlightenment.

    Doug....los Angeles

    ReplyDelete
  12. nickwallacesmith11 November 2009 at 02:38

    hey doug

    yep, life is not only temporary but ever changing - once i had this in my mind i could let go of control - a great relief!

    hadn't heard 19, only 15 for the garden at kyoto - each garden is different in that it is a different composition representing a different landscape - so different numbers of stones for different gardens i guess

    were you speaking about the one in kyoto?

    BTW my knowledge of the subject is minuscule! LOL

    best, nick

    ReplyDelete
  13. nickwallacesmith11 November 2009 at 02:40

    PS doug

    i wish i were a better photographer - i tned to fix up things with photoshop!

    but glad u liked them, warts and all!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Jason_M12 November 2009 at 23:03

    Buddhist teachers say over and over, don't cling; let go. Letting go seems to be at the very heart of Buddhist teachings. Non-attachment. Phen arise and pass away.

    ReplyDelete
  15. nickwallacesmith12 November 2009 at 23:24

    hey jason

    yes, that's the way - letting go is the way - and brings such calm positive detachment

    good to hear, nick

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)