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Do Not Let My Shadow Flow Into the World

from On The Arc of the Beautiful Decay by West Riding

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The title of this track is taken directly from a "waka" poem written by the great Japanese Zen Master Eihei Dogen in the 13th century. The full poem as translated by Brian Unger and Kazuaki Tanahashi in the book "Moon In a Dewdrop" reads: "I won't even stop / at the valley's brook / for fear that / my shadow / may flow into the world."
The title of the poem is "Mountain Seclusion," and I imagine (without information indicating otherwise) that Dogen is referring to his desire to stay in seclusion on the mountain, not interacting with the everyday world even so far as his shadow might flow with the brook's waters down into the villlage below.

However, a deeper reading might be one that goes all the way back to Shakyamuni Buddha's lifetime and teachings: that of engaging with the world in a way that does no harm, that is cognizant of taking up too much space or resources, that seeks to have impact on the world only within the context of alleviating the suffering of others. If I will flow into the world, let it be my light - my positive intentions and energies - and not the darkness of my shadow - the karma of my bad actions and intentions.
I feel it is also representative of the entire idea of, as Dogen offers in his fascicle "Genjokoan," the difference between "carrying the self forward to actualize the myriad things" - pushing ourselves on to the world, trying to reify our ego identity by intentional actions designed to boost our own stature or wealth, which he goes on to say "is delusion" - versus "allowing the myriad things to come through and actualize the self" - allowing the world to be as it is, being content to exist as part of the scenery in a sense, not pushing our agenda on to those around us and in doing so being ready and able to respond to the world as it actually is with wisdom and compassion, which he goes on to say "is enlightenment."

In this sense then, it ties in with the album's primary theme of death being renewal - that upon the "dropping of this skin bag," our impact on the world around us changes, but does not end. Our memory lives on in those who loved us (and those who didn't), and our karmic impact on the world extends many eons into the future. We flow into the world on a minute by minute basis whether we realize it or not - will our light flow into the world, or our shadow?

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from On The Arc of the Beautiful Decay, released February 15, 2024

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West Riding Portland, Oregon

West Riding (aka James M Gregg) produces ambient, neo-classical and cinematic music inspired by quiet mountains, intrepid journeys and Zen koans, as well as artists such as Olafur Arnalds, Phillip Glass, Max Richter, Arve Henriksen, Hans Zimmer, Claude Debussy, Erik Satie, Gustav Mahler and many more westriding.net ... more

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