Japan

AS A FORM OF GRACE

One of them picked up a shovel and spaded earth. Since coming to the camp, their guilt had died and left behind a husk, whose hair and flesh were crackly like onion skin. We buried the husks and covered them with dirt, each scoop sending them further away, to some far-off place. All of us were crying never-ending violent tears. Then over on the

But if you’re saying I should think seriously about my own “from now on,” then first I would need to know about “until now,” as its precondition. PHILOSOPHER: No. Right now, you are in front of me. It is enough to know “you who are in front of me,” and in principle there is no way for me to know “the past you.” I repeat, the past does not exist.

In Japan there’s a phrase that says that the higher a tree grows, the more wind it has on it. It’s a natural part of what it means to grow. You could try to force the wind to stop, but you could also work with it, just like you do in sailing. Be patient; let the circumstances take you there. Go with the wind, and you’re either going to get there or

However, once one is released from the schema of competition, the need to triumph over someone disappears. One is also released from the fear that says, Maybe I will lose. And one becomes able to celebrate other people’s happiness with all one’s heart. One may become able to contribute actively to other people’s happiness. The person who always has