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In memory of Roxie

 In memory of Roxie At the borderlands of Dewachen, the pure land of Buddha Amitabha, there is a peculiar stretch of land. It is reserved mainly for the dogs of people who practice the Dharma. There are predominantly dogs on that land, but exceptions occur. Occasionally, one could see the glimpse of some well-behaved cats, who keep themselves to themselves, and even a snake or two could be found, after the story of the White Snake came to be known. The dogs have some memories of their humans reciting sadhanas and prayers, they remember the mantras whispered in their fluffy ears; the memories of the smell of burning incense lingers on the tips of their noses; the taste of the tormas they somehow managed to snatch from the shrine still coats their tongs. All those conditions accumulated together produce the little dog paradise in which everything is as it should be in the world of dogs: The tennis balls are there for a chase whenever needed, and when they fly, they murmur softly...
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One line, two meanings





'The ruler is just the boat; people are the water'. This is a beautiful saying from the 263BC Chinese philosopher Xunzi. However, it is also a striking example of how the words can have a different meaning according to the person who perceives them. For me, and for Xunzi himself, this sentence has the meaning of mutual dependance. The ruler is nothing without the people; he should try to look after them, knowing that he is above them only in the way a boat is above the water, by being supported by it.

In ancient China however this saying became the beginning of the mass slaughters of the third century BC. At about the same time as Xunzi's visit to Xiyanyang, the capital then of Qin kingdom, Qin abandoned the traditional policy of alliances and adopted one of expansion through naked aggression. 'Attack not only their territory but also their people for the ruler is just the boat, but people are the water,' advised Qin's then chief minister. Enemy forces must not only be defeated but annihilated so their state lost their capacity to fight back.

Their policy worked. Qin became the First Empire of China and although shortly lived (221-206BC) it changed the whole course of Chinese history.

There is a famous story in Vajrayana Buddhism in which a teacher gives the same instruction to two disciples. One of them achieves Enlightenment, the other one becomes a murderer. One line, two meanings.

Reading 'China, A History' by John Keay


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