what is it?

it is a simple rose
that blooms in spring
and brings with it
the beauty of this mysterious cosmos

it is a quiet moment

with your lover at night

when words aren’t necessary

and I love you is said without opening your mouth

it is a somber moment

of suffering and dis-ease

when your father tells you

that his illness is getting worse

it is a challenging moment

of confusion and then insight

when you face another problem

in your work-a-day life.

it is a comfortable moment

when you relax in the hot tub

and the bodily stress of

another day seems to melt away.

it is a moment of profound stillness

when the question permeates

the very core of your being

and there is only clear being there.

the profundity of life’s lessons

is in the simple ness of the answers

that come to us only when we are completely awake. 

Zen Master Cheon Kang Sunim

1975

Dear Rev. Cheong On Sunim—

Homage to the Three Treasures. In memory of the great Zen Master, Cheon Kang Sunim, I fold my hands before the altar of the Three Treasures. The news that our great master has entered into Nirvana reached me through the Buddhist newspaper, and I would like to express my heartfelt grief and sadness. His original face, of course, is still there among the Blue Mountains and the White Clouds; furthermore, there is no life and death or even Nirvana, yet life is life, and death is death, and I feel greatly grieved. I feel all the more so because I cannot go and see the image of the great master who was particularly kind and loving to me throughout his lifetime. Far away in America, I look to the Eastern sky, with hands folded, with incense burning, in a deep meditation in behalf of him.

(We wish that you not forget your original vow, and return to the suffering world again as soon as possible, to find again enlightenment, the great work of life and death, and widely benefit all sentient beings.) Reverend Cheong On, you shall be busy giving 49th day and 100th day memorial services for him. Please give my best regards to all those in your temple. Buddhism in the U.S.A. is developing day by day. It is my great regret that I did not have the chance to invite our great master to the United States once.

Wishing an eternal bliss to our master again, and continuous efforts for greater achievements to you, I remain,

Yours,

Seung Sahn

for Cheon Kang Sunim

In the great enlightenment

achieved by one word,

Many blue-eyed disciples originate.

In the hairs which grow on teeth,

Many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

die and disappear.

The Great Zen Master,

Cheon Kang Young Shin,

Where are you going?

KATZ!

Aigo, aigo, aigo.

I am weeping.

for kwanjŏk

perceive stillness

in the

great brightness.

a sharp sword

of wisdom

kills and gives life.

the edge is honed

but keep it sharp

from this

wisdom peak

the journey home

is a long and tenuous trek.

stay in this moment

and don’t delude

your self.

Happy Birthday Great Abbot

what is required

to see your way through?

a strong center

and only go straight

don’t know mind.

there is no doubt

that our abbot

embodies

the Buddhadharma,

he is forthright

and true.

just do it

is the way of the Buddha’s,

but Buddha

never had a wife;

he left that all behind,

so finding

husband mind,

and father

mind,

and student mind,

and teacher mind,

and mentor mind,

and therapist mind,

are all realms the Buddha

approved of,

yet did not endure.

our path on the Dao

isn’t as easy as a Monk’s,

so watch your step

and dance in the middle

of the fire.

three bows from

your teacher

on your magic forty.

an age younger than

your years,

and older than

time immemorial.

stop—and pay attention

to each fleeting moment

you give

and today

allow others

to shower you

with the recognition

you so deserve.