Saturday, March 06, 2010

Ponder the existence of yourself before your father and mother was born.

Later in the evening, I came to Hakata, the central city in my mother's native area of northern Kyushu.

Although I am a frequent visitor to the city, I feel as if I have never been able to have enough of it. I am always in search of something, unconsciously and consciously, and yet do not know what it is that I am actually searching for. It can be vaguely described as the scent of something distant, soft, warm, which embraces me gently, and takes me back to my infant days, or even before that.

The great writer Soseki Natsume once attended a Zen session at a temple. During his stay, he was presented with a Zen enigma: Ponder the existence of yourself before your father and mother was born. Soseki was very impressed by this enigma and writes about it in one of his novels.

Visiting Hakata, I might have always been in search of something akin to this famous Zen Enigma. Ponder the existence of yourself before your father and mother was born. Since the question is an intractable one, I am ever wandering, looking for the answer in vain.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I believe the Zen-based concepts of "mushin" and "heijo-shin" should be considered "universal", concepts which should apply to all human beings. Religion related matters are always sensitive (given Japan's and the world's bitter experiences and consequent traumas) but it is difficult for me to deny the notion that certain religion-based concepts and philosophies universally ring true, those which are important structural forms of wisdom established and constructed brick-by brick through our long centuries of lessons learned. After all, who in this world would oppose to the concept of "love" (putting detailed definitions aside)? Having said that, whether it be for a personal quest for a "peace of mind" or the world's quest for "love" and "peace", I believe we should be paying more attention to the teachings and "tips" from our ancestors, an effort which I expect and hope will someday lead to a clearer integration with "science" (Ganbatte Mogi-sensei).
SK

Yuzu said...

Dear:Mr.Mogi
Your profound world is so fascinating. It makes me step my feet into a wonderful world.