Categories
Kusen

164. Mountains and waters

In the Mountains and Waters chapter of the Shobogenzo, Dogen talks about how various different beings see what human beings see as water.

When we see water, fish see palaces. Gods see strings of pearls, hungry ghosts see blood or pus.

Dogen didn’t say that the fish, the Gods and the hungry ghosts are all mistaken, that they are mis-seeing water.

What we see as water is just one window, and there is an infinity of windows.

But for us, just one window. But looked through with which eye?

The eye that gives life, or takes it?