It’s been days since my last entry. Nothing special to note here tonight except this, which came to me via email, among a variety of « inspirational » quotes, and I couldn’t let it slip away without sharing it with my zenscribe friends:
Generosity is the ornament of the world.
Through generosity, one turns back from the lower realms.
Generosity is the stairway to the higher realms.
Generosity is the virtue that produces peace.
From « The Sutra of the Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels »
Enseignante Zen et poète, Sensei Amy “Tu es cela” Hollowell est née et a grandi à Minneapolis, aux Etats-Unis. Arrivée en France en 1981 pour étudier la littérature et l’histoire, elle y est restée, s’installant à Paris, où elle élève ses deux enfants et gagne sa vie en tant que journaliste.
The Zen teacher and poet Amy “Tu es cela” Hollowell Sensei was born and raised in Minneapolis, but came to France in 1981 to study literature and history and has lived in Paris ever since, raising her two children and making a living as a journalist.
Thank you!
Yes, I’d say it’s something like that. These traditional sutras often employ decorative language, with lots of jewels and ornaments. Most likely cultural (i.e., Indian). As you note, we’d probably say something more like acts of generosity make the world glow, or reveal the fundamental shining of all things.
Thank you for sharing these inspiring lines!
Though, not sure about the meaning of "ornament" here… is it something like a "decoration"? Generosity as something that makes the world "glow" or "prettier"?