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.


03 July 2020

College of TAR / School of TAR


 Pete:  [strums guitar] You ready for this, J-dog? Jam out, drink some brews, talk about everything and nothing.
  
 Jack:  After today, that is exactly what I am ready for. [claps hands] Beer me.
  
 Pete:  [hands Jack a beer]
  
 Jack:  [cracks beer and sighs] Sitting around, drinking beer while a guy in a poncho plays guitar... this is what I always pictured college being like.
  
 Pete:  I wouldn't really know. I only had about two weeks of real college before Paula got pregnant. Twice. She had overlapping pregnancies five months apart.
  
 Jack:  [sighs] Hey, Pete. Do you know Aqualung?
  
 Pete:  [laughs and starts playing guitar] Baw baw baw baw baw.
  
 Jack:  [sings] Sitting on a park bench. I don't know the words except park bench.


Jack:   Hey, Pete. How do I know that the colors you see are the same as the colors that I see? Maybe what I see as red you perceive as green.

Pete:  We should be writing this stuff down.

- 30 Rock [ season 5 episode 8 )



Although Daishu apparently never formally studied Zen as did the other two Shu, he once had a run-in with a Zen priest who gave him a valuable hint. Deishu was visiting a temple in Ueno on family business and happened to boast to the priest there how skillful he was with a spear.

"Is that so?' remarked the priest. "How about a demonstration? Do you think you can touch me with your weapon?"

Angered by the priest's cavalier disregard of his reputation, Deishu grabbed a laundry pole, prepared to make short work of the monk. To his consternation, Deishu got nowhere near the priest who deftly avoided every thrust. Deishu was forced to concede defeat and beseeched the the priest, "What school do you profess? Please teach me the principles of your Ryu."

"I belong to the 'Mountains are high, rivers are long' Ryu. It is also know as the 'Eyes horizontal, nose vertical' or the Willows are green, flowers are red' School."

'What do you mean?" a confused Deishu asked

"Figure it out for yourself," the Zen priest told him.

- John Stevens, The Sword of No-Sword: Life of the Master Warrior Tesshu


Theatre of the Actors of Regard  
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 someone looks at something...
  
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