Sky, Sea, God, Brain

Dear Friends,

As promised, we are swerving from Dogen's Zen today for a visit with Emily Dickinson in Amherst, Mass.  Here is her challenge to neuroscience from c. 1862:
 

The Brain—is wider than the Sky—
For—put them side by side—
The one the other will contain
With ease—and you—beside—

The Brain is deeper than the sea—
For—hold them—Blue to Blue—
The one the other will absorb—
As sponges—Buckets—do—

The Brain is just the weight of God—
For—Heft them—Pound for Pound—
And they will differ—if they do—
As Syllable from Sound—

Among the questions the poem throws up for me, here are two:

1. Why the Brain? -- when she seems to be speaking about the Soul or the Mind, both of which would fit the meter just as well.

2. How exactly does a syllable differ from sound?

These are just two, and you may have questions or answers or other things that arise in you as you read the poem.  Read it out loud if you get a chance, and see if that shakes loose any more meaning.

In group today, we'll approach the poem as a meditative text, and allow it to dignify this human life immeasurably.
 

with love,
Michael