Daizui Macphillamy, Rev. Master

Rev. Master Daizui comments on his sadness at the events of 9/11 in the USA and goes on to say:

“And yet within this sadness, this self-questioning and introspection, there are some positive things which many people have pointed to: a new perspective on what is important. A perspective on, not only what is well not to do, but what is well to do. Such things as being, simply being with one’s loved ones and friends. Not doing anything in particular, just being. Such things as doing small acts of enlightenment, bringing charity, tenderness, benevolence and sympathy into life in little ways. Truthfulness, whether it be within oneself or to one’s fellow people; and the tolerance that comes from forgiving ourselves, and others, our mutual humanity; a wish to care for one another and for the world.
All of these things strike me as being very simple, very basic, and somehow, together (and this is where I am not quite fathoming or able to bring together what I sense), these things paint a picture that is larger than the things themselves. A picture of what I will call, for lack of any other term, “spiritual simplicity.” While I cannot define that for you or even for myself, it’s something that seems to have been recognized and spoken of in various ways down the ages in the Zen tradition. I will try to share with you some observations about it, perhaps in the way in which one sees a moth circle around the flame. Even if I cannot point directly to it, perhaps we can fly around it a little together.”

PDF to download: Spiritual Simplicity