1st Blog

So for my English 101 class I had to make a blog, and write about the readings that we do in class or on anything with Mr. Sweeney's permission. Although this is for a class, I plan to keep up this blog all throughout my college days, and maybe after college too. So here we go:

We had to read two pieces of work called The Question of Originality and Writing and the Threshold Life. Going to be honest here . . . The Question of Originality was pretty boring to read.  It did not keep your attention very much and was a lot to read.  On the other hand though Writing and the Threshold Life was interesting.  It told a story at the beginning about a priest traveling with his attendant toward Kyoto from Mount Koya, discussing Buddhist teachings.  On the way to Kyoto they come upon an old woman in rags, who is Ono no Komachi.  Komachi was once a beautiful, famous poet who had at least one child, never married, and had many lovers. She now lives wandering the mountain trails.  She stops to rest on a stump when the priest come to her, and they berate her saying she is sitting on a stupa (sacred symbol of the body of Buddha). Komachi tells them that what they call a stupa, she calls a stump.  They go back and forth on wither or not it is a stupa or a stump, finally until Komachi says that she chose to approach the stump because it is the Buddha's body.  The priest then says it was wrong for her to sit on the stump, but she says wrong action may lead to salvation.  After this the priest says she is truly enlightened, they then ask who she is, and when she tells them she also tells of why she roams the mountains. . . to free the spirit of a former lover of hers that has come into her body.