Enlightenment Day Poem

cats, dogs and oxen–all understand. sky, mountains and rivers–all understand. trees, glowers and rocks–all understand. they have no speech–only do it! already is manifest–correct way, truth and correct life. someone loses an ox for a long, long time, searches for the ox, but alas has no direction. only don’t know……. one day discovering the truth, this person hits the ground. Yaaaaah……. there is the ox! but the ox is very strong and charges around, so holding the rope tightly–try, try, try. eventually the ox surrenders, as the ox eats grass they only rest together. then–riding the ox and returning home while playing a flute–la, la, la. the willow is green and the flower is red. yet, already riding on the back of this ox, and going out in search of this ox– that is very funny and also very stupid! therefore Buddha is also stupid. why did he sit for six years under the bodhi tree? already–one by one, each thing has it. it and dust interpenetrate. it has already appeared in all things. so Buddha, what was your enlightenment? what did you transmit? you are very funny and this is a funny world. the stone ox is laughing– mu, mu, mu….. Golden Buddha shines through this enlightenment day. Zen Master Seung Sahn December 5, 1981