A Transmission Outside Scriptures
Vincent J. Fortunato • April 19, 2019
Here is Vincent's Profound Photo for this month. The senses - touch, sight, smell, hearing, and taste - are experiential portals to places that words, concepts, and other symbols can't take us. As Ginny Kubitz Moyer says in "Taste & See: Experiencing the Goodness of God with OUR FIVE SENSES", "God speaks to me using the language I know best -- the language of the five senses" (p. xiii). Here Vincent shares a gorgeous photo he took of a tulip, and then leaves us with a question.
A Transmission Beyond Scriptures
by
Vincent J. Fortunato
A Zen Koan (paraphrased): Shakyamuni holds up a flower (Mumon’s The Gateless Gate, Case 6).
One day, when Shakyamuni Buddha was to give a talk, he instead held up a flower. Everyone remained silent, except for Kasho, who broke into a smile.
Shakyamuni then said, “I have the all-pervading True Dharma, incomparable Nirvana, exquisite teaching of formless form. It does not rely on letters and is transmitted outside scriptures. I now hand it to Maha Kasho.”
Mumon’s Poem (edited).
A flower is held up,
And the secret has been revealed.
Question:
What was the secret that was revealed?
Most of all, she is crazy about her brood. She smiles more when she’s with them. Laughs more. Enjoys more. Relaxes more. Has more fun. She just loves her family.
“…there must be millions of aging males, now slipping into their anecdotage…” ~E.B. White 1
Author's Note: I originally posted this in the Profound Bartender on April 8, 2018, and then reposted it here at Profound Living on April 25, 2018. I thought it might be a good time to repost it again.
Author's Note: This is a repost of an essay I published in 2018. I thought it was a timely topic to revisit.
“In Celtic wisdom we remember that our soul, the very heart of our being, is sacred. What is deepest in us is of God. ” ~John Philip Newell 1
We may be lights under bushels, but we can shine brightly against the dark even if we are mere candles. Together, the light may shine bright.
Silence speaks to us Listening in deep quiet… Hear what you long for! ~Patricia Leyko Connelly 1
"Elegance is the harmonious integration of simplicity, refinement, and intentionality across diverse contexts, combining timeless beauty with functional sophistication." ~ChatGPT Synthesized Definition
