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Nicely said.
“A Song of the Rolling Earth” he sings, “I swear the earth shall surely be complete to him or her who shall be complete. The Earth remains jagged and broken only to him or her who remains jagged and broken.” This is what we must see. Then we can keep our eyes and hearts open in the aching world and not be crushed by or wallow in despair, because we know this suffering of ours is not necessary and we work to bring out what each of us ultimately wants — peace. We see the indescribable and unimaginable beauty that exists all around us and within us, and recognize that this beauty and goodness resides in every person. Admittedly, sometimes it’s hard to see, but it is always there. The more we recognize that boundless goodness within ourselves, the more we see it in others, even in someone who does terrible deeds. This is recognizing the Earth as complete and recognizing our own completeness. That’s what happened when the Buddha realized himself. Upon his realization, he said, “All sentient beings, all things, and the great Earth, are at this moment enlightened and complete.” This doesn’t mean that at that moment there was no one on earth who was not hungry. But at that very moment, the Buddha saw the fundamental perfection and completeness that is present in all things. When we experience this for ourselves, it profoundly changes our way of seeing and being. That’s why Dogen said, “Although we say that mountains belong to the country, actually they belong to those who love them. When the mountains love their master, the wise and the virtuous inevitably enter the mountains. And when sages and wise ones live in the mountains, because the mountains belong to them, trees and rocks flourish and abound, and the birds and the beasts take on a supernatural excellence. This is because the sages and wise ones have covered them in virtue. We should realize that the mountains actually take delight in wise ones and sages.”
M
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