I left Tisch late on Monday night after it snowed and saw a bunny hop in front of me around Goddard Chapel!
dimly lit walkway
untouched snow
suddenly — a bunny
I was a little confused after class discussion when we were talking about why the author of As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams had the ability to write about her thoughts (Lecture 1/30). The class came up with Buddhism as a justification. We also have talked a lot about duhka and how “life is suffering” which happens as we try to pursue pleasures that are temporary and will never last (Inouye 31). In my mind, Buddhism would not encourage living a life in daydreams because they could never be fulfilled which would cause so much mental anguish. Buddhism is about removing the control of the external world and meditating on the idea of anitya (the world and our perceptions change) to escape from duhka (Inouye 31). Living in a dream world is not a productive way to achieve enlightenment.
I really enjoyed reading your poem. I can totally picture the scene in my head. and I agreed with you that living in a dream world is not a productive way to achieve enlightenment. I think it really takes us effort to realize that the external things in our life are illusory so we shouldn’t be enslaved by them.