we are in the midst
of a world in union
and the separation of thought.
do we see an image,
or do we exist in the moment?
there is no outside
nor is there a tangible inside,
yet we make this
and it has somehow
come to exist
as our world of thoughts.
there is a dance
in which we circle
round and round
till we come back
to the place
where we began.
humanity is the essence
running through all
of our veins,
so why call others by a name?
if we must
use a name,
just call you me;
and know that
I am you.
love is like the
transcendent blue sky,
ideas are merely
clouds forming
and dissipating
in the clear blue sky.
the clear blue sky
is always present
and never denies
the clouds from forming,
yet when the clouds must leave
the sky is never holds on.
be the sky
and let the misty places pass
of their own volition.
be as the unborn essence
of your original existence
within the timeless grace
of the dance.
two thousand five hundred
and sixty three years ago-
a sage appeared who vowed
to save us from this state of dis-ease
and life’s seeming un-satisfactoriness.
now, for eighty generations
teacher after teacher,
student after student,
has passed on the obvious
truths of this instruction.
the simple and the profane,
the obvious and the hidden,
what must we do to awaken,
from our sleeping malaise?
we merely are conduits
of the eternal truth,
if we have awoken
to the eternal truth,
the realization that
my life is not my own
leads to the understanding that
I must help to ferry across
all sentient beings
for there is no separation of my self.
there is nothing special
in awakening to this moment,
yet the awakening is
beyond thinking
and beyond our thoughts.
jesus said to his disciples;
“through me life can be gained,
only through my life
can union with God be assured!”
what is this teaching
of mysterious wonder
and uncertainty?
we have come to this life
with no possessions
and no ideas to be achieved.
why do we now
wish to pervert the procession
and corrupt it with our thoughts?
jesus was born in spring
not during the winter solstice
which is celebrated by us.
legend becomes story
and the story becomes fact,
but we must realize that
within the realm of the truth,
this season is about love.
love between us and ours,
love between life and us,
love between the present moment
and the realization
that we can always
become a better person.
so try, try, try, for ten thousand years
to be the best that you can ever be.
what is a belief?
for we hold them
so tightly that we
are willing to cause
the most inhumane suffering
for them.
we attach
and we hold
and then we
separate ourselves
from the brilliant
love that shines
and yet we are
blind to its brilliance..
why is this so?
we don’t want to
connect to our own
self made suffering,
we would rather
blame it on the most
convenient thing that appears.
we are love,
please touch it now.
we are compassion,
please look in the mirror
and acknowledge your own pain.
we are teachers,
please learn the lessons being presented.
and most of all,
just know that love
is ultimately
all there is.
beyond ideas of
right and wrong,
beyond the essence
or the very edge
of our thinking,
lies the nature
of our very existence.
should we come
with an idea,
we should gently
let it go,
should we come
with an expectation,
we should kindly
yield to this moment.
I came to Zen
full of suffering
and pain,
and through
the gentle guidance
of our master
I have found peace.
it is now time
for each of us
to learn how
to be the gentle giant
of a man he is,
and how to guide
in his shadow
and support
his great legacy
for the generations
to come.
silver and gold
shimmering silver moon,
sparkling white clouds.
hiding—then illuminating
then highlighting the
glowing silver orb.
what life lives in eclipse
of yellow sun
and silver moon.
one reflects
the other,
but which one gives life?
does the sun give
life to the moon,
or does the moon
reflect life into
the sun?
in this life
only one choice
do we have.
let go—
silver light
reflects from
the golden source.
silver
and
gold
are one
and the same.
green mountains
and blue sky,
ancient sequoias
stand like sentinels
along a meandering creek.
deep in the forest
moss and lichen
cover the trees,
a carpet of leaves
offered below my feet.
wild turkeys roam
in a small intimate group.
a family of deer
graze just up ahead.
down the trail,
to the right—
stands Suzuki Roshi’s stupa.
offer incense, then wait
just maybe an hour or so.
a long time ago Roshi said:
“we die and we do not die,
I think this the correct understanding.”
then I realize,
like a drop of water
he has returned to the river.
Roshi asks me quite softly,
“are you a drop of water,
or have you entered the stream?”
my answer is quite simple,
“how may I help you?”
because, of course;
this river runs through
each one of us—
in an unending flow.
written during a solo retreat at Sonoma Mountain Zen Center thanks to my friend Jakusho Kwong roshi
being no–one,
going no–where,
a light rain
falls on my head.
mist envelops
the mountain tops.
the staff in my hand
steadies the trail down.
sitting with Trungpa
I chant the Great Dharani;
circumambulating the Stupa
rain splashes from it’s roof.
upon parting
transcending the three worlds,
vowing to become Buddha
and save all beings;
the mantra of shattering Hell:
om gar ra ji ja sa ba ha
om gar ra ji ja sa ba ha
om gar ra ji ja sa ba ha.
written during a solo retreat at Sonoma Mountain Zen Center thanks to my friend Jakusho Kwong roshi
why do we seek,
when seeking
leads to more seeking?
it is just the mystery
of what will unfold
into the presence of now.
and, are we happy
with what we have
or do we compare
what it is
with what we think?
this is the paradox
of living in this moment
and not knowing what
is now.
poem: dochong, jdpsn
photo: Nanhuasi Mountains, Shaoguan, PRC by dochong, jpdsn
leaving and carrying the marks of unfulfilled longing
an extinguished candle that finds no place of familiarity
unity of senses the mirrored door has opened
perfect and imperfect are lost within
seeking unraveled the strings of beauty’s veil
leaving nothing but threads for those who can see
my heart longs to love just one has fallen
knowing no reward but the craving for one
not a coward of love yet knowing
a heart once full of pride has resigned
version by dochong jdpsn
I don’t profess to know anything,
I just only realize
that love is fleeting
and connecting to that
is rare and precious.
I will always carry it
and will try to honor
that love
even though it seems
painful at times
I do know
that in the end
there is nothing but
this love in life
dochong, jdpsn
Through a close friend who is a Jain, I discovered the poetry of India. I simultaneously found Ghalib from Robert Bly and my friend Manisha. Through all of this I also discovered Jagjit Singh who revived the Ghazal in India in the late 1950's. I thought I'd share my faviorite Ghazal he has performed with you all.
I had the pleasure of attending one of his public concerts in Long Beach, CA back in 2006.
today there is a negative image of Pakistan put forth by John McCain as well as even Barak Obama, yet the greatest saint and performer of the twentieth century lived and prospered there. Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn, was the greatest sufi vocalist of all time. Here is a sample of what you have been missing by listening exclusively to all that top ten radio.
Just know that his music infused mainstream america in the soundtracks of "Dead Man Walking" and "Natural Born Killers" as well as being an inspiration to western artists like Peter Gabriel and Eddie Vedder.
If you have never had the blessing to see Coleman Barks and Robert Bly read poetry together, you should try really hard to find them together. The blessings are infinite.
I have had to honor to be in the presence of Coleman Barks and Robett Bly numerous times over the last ten years. They both have allowed us to view the divine. For you who have never ventured into this islamic torrent of love and bliss, have much to learn about the love religion.
I have to admit that the first time I heard this Ghazal sung was in the opening credits for the Spike Lee movie, "Inside Man" in March of 2006. The tune was really loud and catchy and everyone in the thearter was enjoying the song, eventhough it was being sung in Urdu. Inside Man was a 2006 crime-drama film directed by Spike Lee. It stared Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Willem Dafoe and Jodie Foster.
I later discovered from my Indian friends that the song was from the Movie "Dil Se" and had an amazing video to go with it. Dil Se (Hindi: दिल से, Urdu: دل سے, translation: From the Heart) is a 1998 Hindi film directed by Mani Ratnam.
I was so taken by the photography and the lyrics that I wanted to understand them. I studied numerous translations of the original "Urdu" and came up with a version that makes the most sense to me in english. It isn't a literary translation, but an attempt to convey the meaining of the poem in english. As-Salāmu `Alaykum (السلام عليكم)
by Gulzar
music by A. R. Rahman
wandering inside love’s shadow
with heaven beneath my feet.
my head inside the shadow of love...
walking within these shadows.
floating inside heaven,
walking within love's light.
there is a friend who hangs on the air
like the sweetest perfume,
whose utterances are Urdu,
a divine language of poetry,
she is my evening,
my night,
my existence.
this friend is my beloved!
my beloved flirts like a flower,
so fragrantly that you may catch her delicate scent.
having now transformed into a charm,
I hold her near to heart and skin.
a simple miracle that sometimes becomes manifest.
she is my song, my sacred declaration of faith
she resembles a sacred treasure.
her song... an ultimate affirmation of devotion...
she appears like the dew on morning grass
and walks with the garden of heaven beneath her feet,
sometimes in the midst of branches,
sometimes among the scattered leaves
I catch drift of her trail upon the wind!
I exist within her gorgeousness.
for she is so unpredictable,
moving shamelessly from sunlight into shadows.
changing her brightly colored garments;
I learn to follow this as well.
If you aren't a regular fan of Hindi Movies I suggest you broaden your viewing to include of few now and then, and 'Dil Se' would be one I would put on your list.
English version by Dochong, JDPSN
there is a song
that echoes within
the halls of eternity
and lifts us up
beyond life’s mundane
and trudging problems,
the voice that we hear
is of course our own
and the melody
has been played
for millennia.
the love that we glimpse
upon this journey called life,
the friends we hold dear
make it all more enjoyable.
yet the burden is our own expectation
that we conceive of what we want
or where a certain path should take us,
and when we settle into the bliss
of this very moment
there is no this or that,
only a moment
so vivid and clear
as to wipe
all the worlds ideas clean
of the confusion
that we are.
photo: by Paul Lynch, JDPSN "Beach Stupa at San Onofre State Beach"
bad days find themselves
eventually in the midst of good days.
yesterday’s woes are tomorrows
opportunities and discoveries.
a good situation doesn’t show us the way,
a bad situation holds the problem in front of us.
we can’t ignore the pain, it won’t let go—
enter the pain to find a door,
the door isn’t an escape,
it’s path leads to directly to the source.
follow this path into the pain,
and there in the center
you will find your true self.
don’t judge, just relax—
life knows what to do.
with an idea,
and we think that
there is some future time
that exists
outside of the present
that is so clear
and transparent
that we can dis-regard
all that it has become
for our ideas
create an alternate
reality that
although imagined
will never exist.
第 二 章
天 下 皆 知 美 之 为 美 ，
斯 恶 已 。
皆 知 善 之 为 善 ，
斯 不 善 已 。
有 无 相 生 ，
难 易 相 成 ，
长 短 相 形 ，
高 下 相 盈 ，
音 声 相 和 ，
前 后 相 随 。
恒 也 。
是 以 圣 人 处 无 为 之 事 ，
行 不 言 之 教 ﹔
万 物 作 而 弗 始 ，
生 而 弗 有 ，
为 而 弗 恃 ，
功 成 而 不 居 。
夫 唯 弗 居 ，
是 以 不 去 。
Two
When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad.
Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other.
Therefore the Master acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anything.
Things arise and she lets them come;
things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but doesn't possess, acts but doesn't expect.
When her work is done, she forgets it.
That is why it lasts forever.
Sorce: Laozu Original Chinese with English translation by Stephen Mitchell
there is only one moment of realization
where all of our hopes and dreams
seem to be overshadowed by the simple
and yet profound reality of truth.
we search,
we seek,
we desire,
we long for,
yet is not this search
and quest to know ourselves?
and is not the seeking
a step into the present
trying to find our essence?
and is not our desire
to be comfortable in our own skin?
and is not the longing
in our souls
not just the manifestation
of what we lost in our childhood.
there is no ultimate savoir
for any of us,
we cannot find someone to help
us transcend our own problems.
this is a personal quest
into the realm of eternity,
where we begin to understand
that we are only
what we are.
to try to be anything else
is an exercise in futility.
photo: View from Haleakela, Maui, HI by Paul Lynch, JDPSN
entering the dining room
the abbot looks me in the eye
and points to the seat next to him.
how auspicious, how humbling
seated with Dakchun,
Maha Ghosananda,
Wukwang Sonsa,
Daekwang Sonsa.
the abbot Dakchun
is the perfect host
attentive to all our needs
Filling my bowl with food
over and over and over
I begin to wonder how
to tell him I am full
without offending him.
Maha Ghosananda hold his hands
with palms together
“enough!”
yes, of course
it’s that simple
the tea is refreshing
as we wash our bowls.
October 6, 1996
Yunmensi, P.R.C.
道清, 禅师
Dochong, JDPSN
photo: Mahaghosananda, Dakchun Fashi, Dochong, JDPSN, Peoples Republic of China, Yunmensi
easter sunday––first day off in thirty
friends said it would take five hours
to drive from olney to clay city
across the heartland
through illinois, indiana and kentucky
farms and fields in Indiana
expansive and well maintained.
it’s true about the blue grass in kentucky
with ranches and horse corrals
as far as the eye can see.
seven hours have passed
arriving at the gate
nestled into the mountains of kentucky
a beautiful korean monastery
to every detail workers have
paid meticulous attention
the beauty of this building
and the landscape is overwhelming
sitting in the Buddha Hall
bowing and chanting
the reverberations of my voice
and the echo of the moktak
this room is chanting too
the turkey vultures soar overhead
a three legged dog roams the temple grounds.
道清, 禅师
Dochong, JDPSN
saturday was an experience
of silence and meditation
shared and supported by
eleven friends with diverse histories.
stumbling into this practice
for various reasons,
some arrived to relieve the constant pain,
while others came out of fear
the craziness would return,
and perhaps a few were there
due to a deep question dwelling within.
one was there to point the way.
we all came
because of a realization that
we couldn’t change the world
to fit our view
and that we have no choice
but to accept this moment
and awaken to our
inherent and true nature.
by the end of the retreat
we all attained
this point.
4:30 pm
saturday
cookies and ice cream
in the dharma room.
Lalla was born in 1326 A.D. (approx.) the daughter of a Kashmiri Brahman named Cheta Bhat near Pampore, Kashmir, based on common evidence. She studied Sufism, and Hinduism but would not be categorized.
for an eternity we appear,
for an eternity we disappear;
both day and night,
we are always in motion.
where do we come from,
where do we go,
forever in the round of birth and death,
from nothingness to nothingness.
but sure, the mystery of life unfolds,
something is there for us to experience.
life is not meaningless,
it just defies the labels
driving home from work
on the pomona freeway,
traffic backs up.
commuters slow down to see a motorist
being given a ticket.
while the traffic moves slowly,
a large shiny semi
creeps past my car.
between the small holes
which speckle the side of the trailer
I get glimpses of the black and white cows,
their noses dripping from the cold.
where are these cows going?
pretending I don’t know—denying to acknowledge.
finally admit they are destined
to become dinner for the passing motorists.
why must these lovely creatures
give their lives to fill the millions of brown bags
with quarter pounders and whoppers?
other motorists don’t seem to notice.
how sad I feel that no one else seems to care.
the screech of air brakes from the passing Semi,
and the grinding of the transmission gives way
to the dull rumble of the diesel engine.
wisps of white clouds veil the red sun
as it sets behind the blue mountain.
glad to be having tofu and rice
for dinner tonight.
we still dream of events
long since gone–
or of desires that remain
unfulfilled within a life
of unchecked emotion.
acting out the play that we wrote
only to have it run and twist
in ways we have little understanding of.
where these images and dialogs
come from remains a mystery,
yet our lives unfold in similar ways
following paths that we never
intended on taking.
the control of the play write
is also the omnipotence of God,
only these two can write a future
of predictable events.
we have but one life to live out
we try so hard to make it into something
yet if we just let go of the anxiety
it is, after all, full of wonder
and uncertainty.
清淨眞如海
ocean of pure reality,
湛然體常住
substance, and fathomless quiescence, exists eternally.
Chán Master Fóguāng Rúmǎn (佛光如满)
Photo: Miramar Beach at Sunrise, Paul Lynch, JDPSN
out of utter silence
the longing cry of the peacock
shatters all thinking
and pierces the darkness at midnight.
seemingly alone on the mountain top,
contemplating the stillness of night.
our thoughts of discrimination
about being alone
or with someone
fall away with this lonely song.
pine trees grow tall
when they are not limited by city planning,
just as our minds
can be free
when we get beyond
our ideas and thoughts.
the majesty of a peacock
with feathers unfurled
the shade of an old pine tree
on a hot july day.
these are the miracles
that are lost to our notice
only because we like thinking
more than our life.
