Macbeth: To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
Shakespeare, William; Macbeth, Act 5, scene 5
...and then nothing?
28 February 2006
25 February 2006
if nothing, then despair...
I am a sick man... I am a spiteful man. I am an unattractive man. I believe my liver is diseased....
I was lying when I said just now that I was a spiteful official. I was lying from spite. I was simply amusing myself with the petitioners and with the officer, and in reality I never could become spiteful.
It was not only that I could not become spiteful, I did not know how to become anything: neither spiteful nor kind, neither a rascal nor an honest man, niether a hero nor an insect. Now, I am living out my life in my corner, taunting myself with the spiteful and useless consolation that an intelligent man cannot become anything seriously, and it is only the fool who becomes anything.... I am forty years old now.... To live longer than forty years is bad manners, is vulgar, immoral. Who does live beyond forty? Answer that, sincerely and honestly. I will tell you who do: fools and worthless fellows.
Dostoevsky, Fyodor; Notes from Underground, I; originally published 1918.
...worthless fellows? ...fools? ...spite? ...honesty? ...amusing?
...words of despair?
I was lying when I said just now that I was a spiteful official. I was lying from spite. I was simply amusing myself with the petitioners and with the officer, and in reality I never could become spiteful.
It was not only that I could not become spiteful, I did not know how to become anything: neither spiteful nor kind, neither a rascal nor an honest man, niether a hero nor an insect. Now, I am living out my life in my corner, taunting myself with the spiteful and useless consolation that an intelligent man cannot become anything seriously, and it is only the fool who becomes anything.... I am forty years old now.... To live longer than forty years is bad manners, is vulgar, immoral. Who does live beyond forty? Answer that, sincerely and honestly. I will tell you who do: fools and worthless fellows.
Dostoevsky, Fyodor; Notes from Underground, I; originally published 1918.
...worthless fellows? ...fools? ...spite? ...honesty? ...amusing?
...words of despair?
05 February 2006
and then consistency...
A. - Being - possible limit.
Possible - that which does not imply contradiction.
Existing - compossible with the most perfect.
Compossible - that which does not imply contradiction with another.
More perfect is that which has more of reality or of positive entity.
B. – Being or possible. Existing is that possible series which envelops more of reality, and whatever advances with that.
C. – Existence cannot be defined, no more than being or pure positive, so of course how can any clearer idea be presented to us; but it is known that every possible would exist if it could, but because not every possible can exist, those exist which are more perfect. And so that which is most perfect, it certainly is well known to exist. But there is some most perfect being, i.e. the greatest perfection that is possible, because it is nothing other than pure positive.
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm; DEFINITIONS (1683-94?); from Grua, Gaston (ed); Textes inédits tome 1 pp 324 - 325; Original translation © Maureen Sawbridge 2002; Revised translation © Lloyd Strickland 2003; Leibniz Translation.com
...how can one thing be more perfect than another?
Possible - that which does not imply contradiction.
Existing - compossible with the most perfect.
Compossible - that which does not imply contradiction with another.
More perfect is that which has more of reality or of positive entity.
B. – Being or possible. Existing is that possible series which envelops more of reality, and whatever advances with that.
C. – Existence cannot be defined, no more than being or pure positive, so of course how can any clearer idea be presented to us; but it is known that every possible would exist if it could, but because not every possible can exist, those exist which are more perfect. And so that which is most perfect, it certainly is well known to exist. But there is some most perfect being, i.e. the greatest perfection that is possible, because it is nothing other than pure positive.
Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm; DEFINITIONS (1683-94?); from Grua, Gaston (ed); Textes inédits tome 1 pp 324 - 325; Original translation © Maureen Sawbridge 2002; Revised translation © Lloyd Strickland 2003; Leibniz Translation.com
...how can one thing be more perfect than another?
01 February 2006
another Koan...
Nothing Exists
Yamaoka Tesshu, as a young student of Zen, visited one master after another. He called upon Dokuon of Shokoku.
Desiring to show his attainment, he said: "The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings, after all, do not exist. The true nature of phenomena is emptiness. There is no relaization, no delusion, no sage, no mediocrity. There is no giving and nothing to be received."
Dokuon, who was smoking quietly, said nothing. Suddenly he whacked Yamaoka with his bamboo pipe. This made the youth quite angry.
"If nothing exists," inquired Dokuon, "where did this anger come from?"
Zen Koans
...is misery?
Yamaoka Tesshu, as a young student of Zen, visited one master after another. He called upon Dokuon of Shokoku.
Desiring to show his attainment, he said: "The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings, after all, do not exist. The true nature of phenomena is emptiness. There is no relaization, no delusion, no sage, no mediocrity. There is no giving and nothing to be received."
Dokuon, who was smoking quietly, said nothing. Suddenly he whacked Yamaoka with his bamboo pipe. This made the youth quite angry.
"If nothing exists," inquired Dokuon, "where did this anger come from?"
Zen Koans
...is misery?
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