Knock Twice Scrapbook
Jan 06
Nov 29
Nothing Exists
Yamaoka Tesshu, as a young student of Zen, visited one master after another. He called upon Dokuon of Shokoku.
Desiring to show his attainment, he said: “The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings, after all, do not exist. The true nature of phenomena is emptiness. There is no realization, no delusion, no sage, no mediocrity. There is no giving and nothing to be received.”
Dokuon, who was smoking quietly, said nothing. Suddenly he whacked Yamaoka with his bamboo pipe. This made the youth quiet angry.
“If nothing exists,” inquired Dokuon, “where did this anger come from?”
— Zen Flesh Zen Bones. Compiled by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki.
May 25
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Mar 05
He shows me another picture, taken two years later — in the Arena — on the night of the first leg of Ajax’s Champions’ League semi-final against Juventus. The tactical pattern of the game — and the moment when the world understood that Van Gaal’s Bosmanravaged Ajax was finished — is captured in a single image. Four black-and-white-shirted Juventus players — Lombardo, Zidane (who has the ball at his feet), Inzaghi and Vieri — are attacking in a neat curved line five metres from the Ajax penalty area. Facing them are just two Ajax defenders, Bogarde and Mario Melchiot. Goalkeeper Van der Sar is on his line. Juventus won the match 2-1 and later crushed Ajax 4-1 in the second leg in Turin. ‘Newspaper picture editors always say it’s much more dramatic to have a closeup. That is bullshit. The problem is basically they don’t understand football, they don’t know what they’re looking at. Of course, yes, it is nice also to have close-ups, to see footballers looking like heroes. But you need both kinds of picture. What can be more dramatic than this? Four Italian attackers converging on two Dutch defenders. It’s a terrifying image.’
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Photo: Hans van der Meer
Text: David Winner, Brilliant Orange
Mar 04
