Kamo no Chmeis prose piece, Hjki, (An Account of My Hut) came out of his withdrawal from civilization, opting instead for the titular hut in the remote mountains. A part of this retreat, though strongly motivated by the authors Buddhist commitments, was the occurrence of disasters in the city & transformations in wider Japanese society during the post-Heian era (794-1183 AD). Since we are, in a sense, living today through a global disaster (the COVID pandemic) with attending demands to quarantine and to physically distance ourselves, please write a blog post consisting of the following:
1. First: choose ONE of the following prompts and compose a 250-400 word response
- Explain/comment on Chmeis comparison of the foam on river water to human life and dwelling.
- Do you agree that city life makes it difficult to achieve inner peace and release from desire and expectation?
2. Second: find a quiet, isolated space in which to sit and contemplate (or meditate). If possible, find & put on a YouTube video of nature sounds and listen to the track while contemplating. Stay isolated for 15-20 minutes and ponder your surroundings (i.e. the corner youre in, under a desk, in the bathroom, behind something, etc.). After the time has elapsed, write a short reflection piece minimum 200 words imitating Chmeis style; give us the emotional impressions of this experience, thinking also of your experiences of COVID quarantining in New York City in the past few months
