believe in me,
only through me
is the true way.
spiritual masters
sometimes make
this mistake.
the fools teach us
absent of their egos.
but master’s use
metaphor and simile.
we don’t understand
the truth of the moonlight,
or its reflection in
the still forest pond.
take in the truth,
dismiss the master,
and see your own
reflection in the
face of the moon.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
The Second Book of the Tao
Stephen Mitchell Compiled and adapted from the Chuang-tzu and the Chung Yung, with commentaries The Penguin Press, 2009
Chuang Tzu's commentary on dreaming of being a butterfly
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Zhuangzi
Saturday, April 18, 2009
bridge at shaoguan
(I came across this picutre of Mahaghosanada, Zen Master Seung Sahn and Maezumi Roshi, all of our great teachers who have left us recently. Our brother Kwong Roshi is still burining brightly, but it is a sign of the passing of the Dharma from East to West. If you click on the picture it will be full size and you can save it as I feel this is an important picture in the lineage of Zen from China, Korea, and Japan to the West. Please feel free to copy it.)
walking over the bridge
at shaoguan
peasants camped out by the shore
with their sampans floating quietly
moored to stakes in the muddy earth.
the younger crowd drives
motorcycles and motor scooters
incessantly honking their horns.
most people stare at the
strange looking visitor
and some even point and laugh
at this sandy blonde American
roaming their busy streets
half way around the world
this too is my home
thick diesel fumes invade my lungs
as I begin to cough
walking over the bridge
at shaoguan.
October 4, 1996
Shaoguan, P.R.C.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
preacher on the radio
driving in a rented car
while the radio automatically scans
the numerous songs and programs
which crowd the busy airwaves.
relieving the radio from its relentless task,
a man’s voice strongly rings out a plea.
“why is it that many other people
leave their particular religions
and come to Christ?” he asks.
“it’s because Buddhists and Buddhism
can’t meet their needs!
it’s because Islam and Mohammed
can’t meet their needs!
it’s because Judaism can’t meet their needs!
only the true Christ can meet their needs!”
what is the true Christ?
what is Buddha?
what is Mohammed?
red tail lights on the freeway,
weave interchanging lanes.
a helicopter hovers overhead,
thumping it‘s constant rhythm.
a single duck is black
against the evening sky.
the green sign with white letters
points the way home.
December 21, 1995
Fullerton, CA
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
In Memorium JW Harrington
there are moments of reality
so close to the heart
and so personal that we can’t
really say what has happened.
there are times when we meet
and the meetings last a lifetime,
they grow and flourish
and a family seems to appear.
JW Harrington was part of my family,
he was always steadfast
and entered into every conversation
with Bodhidharma’s generosity,
‘how may I help you?’
was always the first thing
off his lips.
I don’t know how to express
the sadness and emptiness
I feel in the world devoid of his presence.
He helped me at times
when others had abandoned me,
he was there to add sanity
to a world that was completely mad.
I know that a piece of me has
been lost at the passing of my friend,
and I mourn the loss
of a man who never thought
only of himself.
photo of JW Harrington and Dorota Streitfield
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
kyol che into spring
quarter moon
reflected in the pond
as a cricket orchestra
sing their evening song.
a tiny frog swims
through the moon
causing it to
waver for a time.
the lonesome echo
of the distant train whistle—
hooowaaaah
hooooowaaaaaah
hooooooowaaaaaaaah
suddenly silence
returns again,
the earth calm and still,
but there it is
in the distance
the tinkling of
the pagoda chimes.
a spider crawls
down the door sill
and runs across the floor.
chanting the great dharani
a cool breeze fills the room,
spring has returned.
ten billion stars
twinkle in the heavens
making the pain
in my knees and back
all the more worthwhile.
Diamond Hill Zen Monastery
Cumberland, RI
[i] kyol che: a ninety day meditation retreat usually sat during the winter months.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
chogye mountain
nestled into chogye mountain
nanhuasi is the birthplace
of our current practice.
more than one thousand years have passed
since the illiterate man
built this place.
many enlightened beings
have tread its hallways.
the energy is overwhelming
to walk in the footsteps
of the 6th Ancestor.
to see the tradition live on,
south china temple
will emerge from
the communist rubble
like the lotus flower
emerges from the mud.
originally nothing
om nam,
om nam.........
October 5, 1996
Nam Wah Sa, P.R.C.
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