Zazen with Pandas.
Ever since I can remember, I have been fascinated by living things, starting with insects, then mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and many other creatures. I was always chasing after creatures in my own way as a child, poring over picture books, searching for creatures in the fields and rivers, and trying to find I could.
I was the kind of child who never got tired of spending hours every day watching the territorial battles, courtship behavior, and feeding habits of fish and shrimp in the aquarium.
As always, I still love to watch living things.
I don't know why I liked it so much, maybe because I wanted to know about humans.
What is a human being, what am I, what is the world?
So maybe I was looking at the non-human creatures around me.
And while doing zazen, I observe myself as one human being and one monkey.
When I am sitting, I observe many things.
I observe my senses and consciousness, going back and forth between subjective and objective.
I search for the source of my thoughts, desires, and common sense.
As a monkey, I take a bird's-eye view of myself in the midst of the herd.
I simply accept the swaying of the leaves in the trees in front of me.
Become one with the delicate melody of insect sounds.
Or experience the time axis of clouds and water, wind and seeds, the moon and stars.
Now, pandas are large bears compared to humans.
Yet, compared to all other creatures, they are closer to homo sapiens.
Their movements are also relatively similar to humans.
I am a creature that can be identified by comparison.
It is my wish to be able to sit with pandas, which are similar to me.
Watch a panda,
Being watched by a panda,
Eat bamboo as a panda,
I will sit as a panda.Panda and Zazen
Zazen with Pandas.
Ever since I can remember, I have been fascinated by living things, starting with insects, then mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and many other creatures. I was always chasing after creatures in my own way as a child, poring over picture books, searching for creatures in the fields and rivers, and trying to find I could.
I was the kind of child who never got tired of spending hours every day watching the territorial battles, courtship behavior, and feeding habits of fish and shrimp in the aquarium.
As always, I still love to watch living things.
I don't know why I liked it so much, maybe because I wanted to know about humans.
What is a human being, what am I, what is the world?
So maybe I was looking at the non-human creatures around me.
And while doing zazen, I observe myself as one human being and one monkey.
When I am sitting, I observe many things.
I observe my senses and consciousness, going back and forth between subjective and objective.
I search for the source of my thoughts, desires, and common sense.
As a monkey, I take a bird's-eye view of myself in the midst of the herd.
I simply accept the swaying of the leaves in the trees in front of me.
Become one with the delicate melody of insect sounds.
Or experience the time axis of clouds and water, wind and seeds, the moon and stars.
Now, pandas are large bears compared to humans.
Yet, compared to all other creatures, they are closer to homo sapiens.
Their movements are also relatively similar to humans.
I am a creature that can be identified by comparison.
It is my wish to be able to sit with pandas, which are similar to me.
Watch a panda,
Being watched by a panda,
Eat bamboo as a panda,
I will sit as a panda.
Tosei Shinabe

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