Personal Reflections on the Kakisage
The Kakisage is often spoken of as being the tenth Besseki Lecture. After a period of preparation, recipients of the Kakisage, having just been granted the truth of the Sazuke, are advised to read daily and ponder its intended meaning. My own ponderings change day by day, according to the state and truth of my mind at any given time. Upon reflection I find that my thoughts and ponderings change, not only day to day but moment to moment. In that regard I will attempt to be guided in my ponderings by the two poems from the Ofudesaki appearing below.
From now on I shall speak in the metaphor of water.
Be enlightened by the word clear and muddy.
Ponder this: no matter how clear the water may be,
if you put
mud into it, it will become muddy.
" Now, with the truth of the mind: daily and always, whatever actions, whatever the mind's working, daily I accept all truths whatever."
The metaphor of a mirror or a four sided mirror is, I think, appropriate here. A mirror immediately reflects whatever is held up to it; mirrors are indiscriminate in what they reflect. So too, our original parental mind will return whatever self-centered imaginings are reflected on it. Which results in our self-centered imagination being in free play as is intended in its creation. We can use our imagination in whatever way we want.
There is of course a price to pay for the "free play" of the human self-centered imagination. The true origin of the human mind, like a mirror will reflect and make thrive, both good and evil.
Although the human experience is overwhelmingly good, that is little consolation for those consumed by the experience of evil, either through acts of nature or as the actions of human perpetrators on innocent victims. We are here once again confronted by the need for giving our consent to make repairs to our mind so that it can know and understand its origin and intention while maintaining its intended "free play".