Lovely piece, and the rules vs. essence question is an interesting one.
I’d question one thing: “he did the work first, so it counts” might not fully settle whether the transgressions were freedom or a very polished bypass. Years of training and a real breakthrough don’t rule out an old pattern still running underneath, just with better credentials.
What might tell us more is the detail you mention in passing, that he fell in love. The brothel-going and the wooden sword are visible, defiant, easy to stage for an audience. Falling in love, and later grieving Mori, isn’t performable in the same way. That’s where I’d look for whether his freedom went all the way down.
Great point. And actually one of his later poems seems to have him questioning his karmic debt. Written long after his brothel escapades ended while managing a temple in his late 80s
i like your post: even if it's controversial nowadays. but if you have erased the category of problems, you'll see that the problems faced nowadays are also caused by striving. no matter how sober and well behaved you are 😂
I wonder if Alan Watts was thinking about the drunken master when he took off on his alcoholic fuelled escapes from the ego.
Let us note Li Bai (or Li Po), a Taoist master:
"Li Bai's poems became models for celebrating the pleasures of friendship, the depth of nature, solitude, and the joys of drinking"
Lovely piece, and the rules vs. essence question is an interesting one.
I’d question one thing: “he did the work first, so it counts” might not fully settle whether the transgressions were freedom or a very polished bypass. Years of training and a real breakthrough don’t rule out an old pattern still running underneath, just with better credentials.
What might tell us more is the detail you mention in passing, that he fell in love. The brothel-going and the wooden sword are visible, defiant, easy to stage for an audience. Falling in love, and later grieving Mori, isn’t performable in the same way. That’s where I’d look for whether his freedom went all the way down.
Thanks for this, lots to sit with.
Great point. And actually one of his later poems seems to have him questioning his karmic debt. Written long after his brothel escapades ended while managing a temple in his late 80s
Jiraya-Sensei Desu!
i like your post: even if it's controversial nowadays. but if you have erased the category of problems, you'll see that the problems faced nowadays are also caused by striving. no matter how sober and well behaved you are 😂
INSPIRING!