A Gift of Dharma for 11.12.09
by Danny Fisher
Today’s quote comes from the “Ladies’ Man,” Mr. Leonard Cohen.
Leonard Cohen is, of course, the world-famous Canadian folk singer-songwriter, poet, and novelist.
Each of his studio albums is a masterpiece in its own right. They are: Songs of Leonard Cohen, Songs from a Room, Songs of Love and Hate, New Skin for the Old Ceremony, Death of a Ladies’ Man, Recent Songs, Various Positions, I’m Your Man, The Future, Ten New Songs, and Dear Heather.
His poetry chapbooks include The Spice-Box of Earth, Flowers for Hitler, and Book of Longing, and his novels are The Favourite Game and Beautiful Losers.
He is the subject of the films Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man and Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen, and the narrator of the documentary The Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Way of Life.
Among his many honors, Cohen has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also a Companion of the Order of Canada and a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec.
In 1996, Cohen was ordained as a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monk under his teacher Kyozan Joshu Sasaki, Roshi, at Mt. Baldy Zen Center in Mount Baldy, CA. (His ordination name, Jikhan, means “silence.”) He has lived off-and-on at the center over the years.
Here’s the quote–from his song “Anthem”:
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.
[Photo by Rama.]
Hi there Rev. Danny,
Thanks for your post! If you like Leonard you might like Shinzen Young talking about Sasaki Roshi’s teisho and Leonard’s “Love Itself”.
With blessings and gratitude, Har-Prakash Khalsa.
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