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Dongshan's Five Ranks (3rd)
KOAN:
Poem 3
You’re in the middle of nothing
There is a road that has no dust
Just don’t mention the names of sages and emperors
Then you’ll be more eloquent than they were in ancient times.
—from the Record of Dongshan, The Five Ranks (3rd Rank)
Text
September 18, 2019
Dongshan’s Five Ranks: Poem 3
So there’s something about where we’re located, which is in the middle of nothing, good to know, and then how do you manage there? And also something about expression being eloquent. So what is eloquence when you’re in the middle of nothing? And also something about not reaching for approval, categories, emperors, sages, psychologies, ideas, history, anything that’s not nothing. Okay, so here we are.