The Direction of Time

I recall at the time I was in Sogen-ji, - the Roshi has said or written (in his
newsletter, i.e.) that the only constant, or permanent, or unchanging thing, - is
change.

He was talking about the Buddha, I don’t remember exactly, - and said - I
think with regard to his teaching, - everything changes while the only thing that
doesn’t change is change.

- Quite long after that, I thought this was not true. It is true with regard to
phenomena. Or at least I could not deny that. - But it does not seem concrete
phenomena is everything. I recall some Sutra we used to chant in Israel (as far as I
remember) said “as for reversing the law of cause and effect, - no thought is to be
wasted over it”. These are likely even the exact words. Though it has been some
time. - Reversing the law of cause and effect means reversing time. - This of
course never changes. Not that we know. - Though it may be that time does not
rule over everything, but it is not something I will relate to here. - It is a rule that
we learn with time. It is a law of nature that we constantly gather experience. All
beings do. This does not change. Not that we know.
It may seem trivial, - it may seem meaningless, but let us do think what
would be the case if time ran backwards. - All beings, as far as we know, and as far
as our intuition can tell, - ever gather experience off any event as small and as
meaningless as it may be. - Whenever a mind, - whatever one may be, - encounters
perception of anything - including the processes within it, - it somehow rearranges
itself, - some impression is left, - either just some form of memory or some change
in its habits of action. Or both, of course, I mean. - Even the lowest being would
not differ, - and beings in other worlds too would not be an exception. - Now
consider what would be the situation if time would be flowing in the opposite
direction to that we know. - It would not be so. - Things would be different. - The
situation would be that beings would have their experience from the original past,
if we could so call it, and what I referred to as “experience” could also doubtly be
called this, - and that while applying experience it would be lost. The situation
would be that rather than acquiring experience through action and practice we
would be utilizing inherent knowledge and wisdom - the exact equivalent of
experience, - for the purpose of action, - while this inner understanding would be
consumed thus and used up in this manner. This would of course seem equally
natural at the situation as things seem to us in our reality. - But there
understanding would continually decrease rather than increase. This a thing that
does not change.

Further, - I am of course no master, - not enlightened, - but considering the
continuous question of why did the first patriarch come from the west, - why did
Bodhidharma come from India, to China that is, of course, - it relates to
determinism and non determinism, - to the action being natural while not being
unintentional, - in the way that any intention is natural, - but it also has to do with
the law of cause and effect.

- Masters relating to the issue give simple answers. Same as with the story
of Joshu Jushin and the morning rice porridge. - They may draw you off the
highest heaven to the simplest situation here on Earth, on our silly and strange
planet. But still this has to do with the law of cause and effect. This seems to be
the most fundamental rule guiding the universe. The most trivial things are
sometimes not easy to see. - As it seems to me, in recent thoughts, (this is being
written on August 2^nd 2017) if one can fully see directly and penetratingly the
nature - the real nature, - of this one rule or law, - touch with understanding the
nature and essence of this simple and most fundamental phenomenon, - the
immediate link by which all things we know are linked by, - see fully for himself (or
for herself) what this bond tying everything together is and whence it comes
forth, - than this being has understood the universe. Has completed his path. To
the extent the path could be completed.

So the way in which things are tied by (the law of) cause and effect, and the rule

saying we always gather experience, - do not change. Not for us as it seems.

This is all now.