August 7th (yesterday)
This is the reason why the swordsman is always advised to be free from the thought of death or from anxiety about the outcome of the combat. As long as there is any 'thought' of whatever nature, that will assuredly prove disastrous.
I think that for my family (both married and extended friends that I hold dear) this is a great quote. Coming from a military "family" we all need to keep this in mind. If you go into a fire fight and are so focused on the outcome of the fight, or your mind is so distracted by fear you can't concentrate on the task. Lack of concentration will cause harm. If you are even concentrating on WINNING you can still loose. Empty your mind and focus on the task.
This goes for anything, even home and work tasks. If you are working on a project or cooking dinner and are so focused on the desire for glorification ("This is the best project ever" or "This is the best dinner ever") you are liable to mess it up somewhere. You will make a mistake, of that I have no doubt. Concentrate on the task. Don't do something seeking glory or fearing failure. Just do your best and put everything into whatever it is you are doing!
August 8th (Today)
While Zen teaching consists in grasping the spirit by transcending form, it unfailingly reminds us of the fact the spirit expresses itself only by means of form
This one is a bit more difficult for me and if any one wants to chime in and throw their two cents in the ring I won't rebuff you for it! For me, this means that Zen teaches that to grasp the spirit and realize what it's nature is, you try to do it by transcending (rising above) the form. However, you must also remember that the spirit can ONLY express itself by form. If one seeks to find the spirit and is desperate and frantic about doing so, then one will fail. To transcend the spirit and grasp it, one must practice zazen and let the spirit take it's form naturally.
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