Zuihitsu

A Zen master who is also a photographer has had published a book of his photographs, each accompanied by a Zen commentary. The book is called Hearing with the Eye.*

I photograph for the viewer not to hear, but to heal. Hopefully, my book could be called Healing with the Eye.

* John Daido Loori (Boston: Shambhala,

“The Infinite exists potentially in every being,”* writes Lafcadio Hearn. (I think he means that it always exists in every being with the potential to be Known.) “That,” he continues, “is the Reality. The other self is a falsity, – a lie, – a mirage.”

Our True Self is our Divinity, our Buddha-Nature, our

The Divinity in every being is called in Japanese Muga-no-taiga, the Great Self without selfishness.

Lafcadio Hearn uses the phrase “the Woman-never-to-be-known.”* To me, She is the Mother of Love, Amida, within each of us that can be Known, but usually – tragically – is not.

He speaks of “the ideals unattainable, – the haunting of troubled souls” by her. He uses the word “soul” in the sense of person, hence

We must have music with tunes, for we do not trust the composer. We fear the unknown he is taking us into. We are not safe with him – unless we see him as our mother of love.

But the Soul of the composer (or, for that matter, the Soul

The composer’s Muse is his Mother of Love – and ours, for there really is only one Mother.

And the more we Know Her through his music, the more will we trust him.

You should read this book, you are importuned, because it was written by a “Zen master.”

That is thought to be a higher commendation than “enlightened person.”

But perhaps it really is not, for every religion has musts, has strictures that constrict. So there can never be

Freedom
– Free!

And Perfect Freedom would logically seem to be the way

We cannot Aspire until we believe – until we Know – we have a Soul.

For it is the Soul that Aspires.

I could keep my film Nikons in the camera bag all day – or even for long stretches of time. And I always knew that however physically separated we were, they always loved me.

But a digital needs constant reassurance. Which is why so often I just hold it in my hands. Encouraging it to trust,

I had a long-time love affair with my film Nikon F3’s. Like all true loves, it was mutual. But with digital it is so different, for now my Nikons are inherently fickle and need constant stroking and reassurance.

Yes, I can love them as I did the F3’s – and they can love me in return.