Sunday, July 7, 2013

what do we know

what do we know?
and why do we struggle so?
there is harmony in our breath
so what folly becomes reality?
we buy an idea
that comes from where?
we scream at the top of our lungs
that this is the path
is the sacred way,
and that all others 
are fallen spirits
who have lost their way.
yet this distraction
from the mirror
of our own humanity,
this projection
outward–
causes us to lose
our true selves.
spiritual empowerment
comes from attaining
who and what we are,
comes from a center
of self effacing brilliance.
those who seek 
the path outside
are merely
sheep
on the path
to the slaughterhouse,
wildly baying
at the sun.
when the focus
is turned within
no one can say
what delights
and joys
will appear.

wonji dharma

the question

asked by a student today,
what constitutes Zen Poetry,
don’t know is all there is
or has ever been
since the beginning of time.
we struggle with life,
yet life unfolds by itself,
we want
we desire
we attempt to direct
and always fail.
life is our teacher
and this path is clear
and bright
in front of us.
it is only when we do not
choose to listen
to the rhythms
of the world
that we are lost
in time and space.
yet who made time
and who made space,
as the simplicity
of green tea
steaming in a pot
refreshing and wondrous
appears with its flavor and savor
when we just let go
who is it that tastes
or smells
ah the essence appears
and no one is any wiser.

Wonji Dharma