David Jones, artist and poet (1895-1974) begins his PREFACE TO THE ANATHEMATA :

'I have made a heap of all that I could find.' (1) So wrote Nennius, or whoever composed the introductory matter to Historia Brittonum. He speaks of an 'inward wound' which was caused by the fear that certain things dear to him 'should be like smoke dissipated'. Further, he says, 'not trusting my own learning, which is none at all, but partly from writings and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the Romans and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymous, Prosper, Eusebius and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons although our enemies . . . I have lispingly put together this . . . about past transactions, that [this material] might not be trodden under foot'. (2)

(1) The actual words are coacervavi omne quod inveni, and occur in Prologue 2 to the Historia.
(2) Quoted from the translation of Prologue 1. See The Works of Gildas and Nennius, J.A.Giles, London 1841.


09 August 2019

Not the Wind, Not the Flag


The Gateless Gate #29
Not the Wind, Not the Flag


  Two monks were arguing about a flag. 
     One said: 
         'The flag is moving.'
     The other said: 
         'The wind is moving.'
     The sixth patriarch happened to be passing by. 
     He told them: 
         'Not the wind, not the flag; mind is moving.'


   
Mumon's comment : The sixth patriarch said: "The wind is not moving, the flag is not moving. Mind is moving." What did he mean? If you understand this intimately, you will see the two monks there trying to buy iron and gaining gold. The sixth patriarch could not bear to see those two dull heads, so he made such a bargain.

      Wind, flag, mind moves,
      The same understanding.
      When the mouth opens
      All are wrong. 



Theatre of the Actors of Regard  
- 1976 -  
 detail
 A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
 someone looks at something... 
         
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