h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I read this in a book of Zen Essays by Dogen, and it reminded me of this project. This comes from an essay called The Four Integrative Methods of Bodhisattvas, one of which is Kind Speech. I don't think copyright should be a problem, because it's a short passage, and I'm not trying to pass it off as my own.

"Once one has taken to kind speech, one will gradually increase kind speech; therefore hitherto unknown and unseen kind speech will appear. As long as one is alive now, one should gladly speak kindly; then one will never regress, life after life. The conquering of enemies and the hamonization of rulers is based on kind speech. To hear kind speech to one's face gladdens the countenance and pleases the heart; hearing kind speech indirectly makes a deep impression on the mind. You should know that kind speech comes from a kind heart, and a kind heart has good will as its seed. One should learn that kind speech has the power to turn the heavens....."

Yes, that is a nice paragraph! I believe that! It has to come from a kind heart, and a good will, otherwise it means little.

wow. beautiful. i wonder if the Italics would let us use it on the reggabwoW? page...

Why wouldn't they? --just stick it as a block quote and cite the author....

I like it very much too... It rather reminds me of agcB's Loving Kindness Meditation entry--it has the same sort of "Think and act kindly, and your entire attitude will change as well" idea...

it might be copywrighted material.

Well, the author *has* been dead since the thirteenth century, but this particular translation was done in the 1980's... not quite sure how that works.

hmmmmm.....