Friday, March 20, 2009


Storks fly,

Ravens caw.

White coats

Rush back and forth.

What's all this fuss

About life and death?


Posted by at

5 comments:

Joshua B. said...

Sir,
Please forgive the fact that this is public, being that there is no other way to contact you I had no choice. I need to apologize in advance for a posting I wrote that has yet to go up on Gudo Nishajima's blog in response to your comment. I was remiss in believing that you where chastising Gudo for his reaction to the fact that some one had accused him of racial discrimination. My response was respectful, but in retrospect I spoke out of turn and I feel the need to humbly ask your forgiveness in this matter. If the response does get posted I will delete it at once. Again I am very sorry. I wish you the best. Take care of that new liver of yours.
Peace,
Joshua Boden

March 24, 2009 at 1:30 AM
Anonymous said...

Hi David -

Unless you know something I don't know, this sad business has nothing to do with Mike Cross (whose translation of a verse by Ashvaghosha you qouted). At all.

It's all to do with (I'm pretty sure), Jundo James Cohen's recent experience with Gudo. This is from something I wrote to another commenter on Gudo's blog. forgive me for repeating some of it here:

"I think Gudo is quite right to apologise, as he now has done for writing about this on his blog. It's understandable that he couldn't reveal the origin of the matter; he would have needed to name names. Unfortunately, by not naming names, some folks don't know who/what he's talking about.
I'm pretty sure this concerns Gudo's (alleged) remarks about jewish people and their supposed influence in the modern world witnessed by one dharma-heir to another. One of the dharma-heirs in question is (jewish)Jundo James Cohen, who, after many years of respectful teacher/student relationship, Gudo has recently, publically, blanked on his blog. Why blanked? Nothing to do with alleged anti-semitism - that came later - but because, in Gudo's words, Cohen is a "sravaka"; (one who relies overly on teachings/writings, as I'm sure you know).

So Cohen was rejected by his teacher for, apparently, doctrinal reasons. He was hurt and shocked, and looked for reasons to make sense of what seemed to him an intolerant and brutal decision.

I am not Cohen. I don't him, or Gudo. Neither do you, I suspect. I have known another of Gudo's dharma-heirs for a few years, and it's my impression that Gudo can be, indeed has been, an unfeeling stubborn old bastard on occasions. His teaching has helped to change my life, but he is not a saint - however cute he looks, and however 'enlightened' he sounds."

- I should clarify, David, that I think it highly unlikely that the dharma-heir Cohen shared views with was Mike Cross. They are hardly chums! (although MC may have reported Gudo's (alleded) views elsewhere, I don't recall seeing them. Also, the dharma-heir of Gudo's that I know, and have great respect for, is not MC, and is also not on great terms with Jundo.

Why I am chirping up? It annoys me that people who don't know any of the parties involved THINK that they do. We don't. And you can't come to reliable conclusions reading pronouncements on teh interblogs. Let's just stay out of it. It really is none of our business.

(For those troubled by anonymity - I am not important).

March 24, 2009 at 5:37 AM
Anonymous said...

Wish you well.

March 24, 2009 at 6:45 AM
David Clark said...

Joshua,

Thank you for your thoughtful note here. I have replied directly to your blog at a bit more length.

Anonymous,

Thank you for taking the time to cast a bit of light on this for me. As you say, I do not know any of the people involved in this matter, and perhaps I should not have commented on it at all. But having done so, let me apologize if I have misconstrued Mike Cross' words or unfairly slighted him. Like the telephone and email, blogging offers us all another way to misunderstand each other as much as to understand.

I recall a saying from back in the mid-sixties "May the Baby Jesus open your mind and shut your mouth". I'll try to keep it in mind.

March 24, 2009 at 8:38 PM
Joshua B. said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
March 25, 2009 at 4:29 AM

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