Time is.....

Circa 1975, Modesto, CA ~ I am the guy wearing sunglasses

Time flies, 
or so it seems.
We remember.
and sometimes
we forget.
Time really doesn't move,
there is no past,
no present,
no future.
There is just
one flowing,
moving,
perception
of this or that.
If we are awake,
we realize
it's time for 
a good laugh,
or a good cry,
or a moment of silence,
or a movement out,
even a movement in.
For what we have,
is always 
right in front 
of our eyes.

Wonji

Chùa Thiên Ân April 25, 2015

high mountain desert zen center

morning breaks at five am,

a quick cup of coffee

then off for morning rituals.

seated in the zendo

as the howling northwest wind

slides through

partially open windows,

howling and hissing

as it dances about

chilling my skin.

sudden gusts

shake at the trees

as they rhythmically

sway in the blustery chill,

while the temple chimes

ring out to awaken all beings.

constant cadence

from the time keepers clock

as morning light

creeps in through

tiny windows.

a single moth

lights on the altar

playing in the

morning candle’s light.

in the midst of

the chaos

is a stillness

of unequalled

proportion.

ring the bell

three times,

strike the chugpi

twice.

out side

the traffic noise

of a waking

desert world.

Carrying a Plank on our Shoulders

when we take off 
the blinders of thought,
what is left 
is just the truth.
old Sakyamuni
saw through it first,
Bodhidharma said it well,
while passing through the gate,
let go of thoughts and ideas,
don't live your life
in a book of concepts.
Dahui burned the books
he wanted to take back
his gift of questioning,
but the cat was loose
and his efforts in vain,
what is this-
this very moment.
how can I assist
in the integration
of no thing?
with a smile
a hug
and support
beyond measure.
to nurture
means 
to love 
always 
in the balance 
of naught.
seeing the truth
before thought or concept,
compassion
arrises
by natural process.......
~ wonji

in the silence and darkness of predawn

in the silence 
and darkness predawn—
my room illuminated only
by blue light emitting diode’s
and the glow of a computer screen.
all seems to move slowly,
for there becomes purpose 
in every creak
and every flutter of 
emanated sound.
sanctity always fills the air—
and at times like this
the silence is illuminated—
a place of sacred beauty.
the monitor reports—
nineteen degrees outside,
and I am grateful
for the roof, 
the walls and the technology
which cradle the inhabitants
of Dharmakaya Buddhist Abbey 
in warmth and relative safety.
every movement 
results in subtle sound—
so often missed
by a busy mind.
we live a miracle—
we don’t know why.
the picture on the wall
simply says, exhale!
yes, of course,
this is all 
by natural process.
thus, I pay homage
to every teacher 
and monk,
who has trodden
this dusty path
for the last
two thousand 
seven hundred years.
for were I not
to have heard 
the teaching,
I would surely
be a poor wretch
right now
scratching out an existence.
instead
I have become 
a wretch
who is content
with each moment
of simplicity 
and brilliant
wonder.

an early morning poem

waking at five am,
darkness still resounds-
only the light 
of the tablet
fills the room.
silence pervades
this sleepy community,
even the birds
have yet to awake.
serenity exists
in every moment,
its just that
in the midst 
of activity
we sometimes 
forget.
autumn is a time
of transition,
the leaves lose their color
much like my grey beard
was once brown.
by natural process
the stream of moments
appear-then another moment
appears before the last
has gone. 
don't occupy your life
with past, present or future,
immerse this presence
in the unfolding experience
like the birds take to the air.
don't try to figure it out,
just enjoy this journey
already in progress,
it's not too late
to yield to your life.

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

on the passing of a Sangha Members Mother

coming appears – like this!

going appears – like this!

coming and going

are the way of the world.

these words on the page – just like this!

An Anthology of All Along the Watch Tower with a tribute to Richie Havens

My Dharma Brother Gregory Cundiff inspired me to post this on my blog. Greg posted a video of Richie Havens playing "All Along the Watch Tower," and I just heard this news. I am not sure that Greg had heard this news yet or not, I find it poignant that Richie was highlighted in this way. This is on of the greatest covered songs in all of history with such a splendid diversity of interpretations.

 Folk singer and guitarist Richie Havens, who opened the 1969 Woodstock music festival with a legendary and lengthy set that helped make him famous, died Monday at age 72. His family says Havens died of a heart attack, and that a public memorial will be announced later. A statement on his official website posted before Havens' death says that the singer never fully recovered from kidney surgery he underwent several years ago. His career spans decades, but he may be most famous for his role as the first performer at Woodstock. He launched the three-day festival with more than two hours of music, even running out of songs and thus improvising the song "Freedom" based on the old spiritual "Motherless Child." 


 Richie Havens - "All Along The Watchtower" - Mountain Jam V - 5/31/09 - May he rest in peace.
 The original version of "All Along the Watch Tower." by Bob Dylan.


Bob Dylan and the "Rolling Thunder Review Concert" version.


 
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - All Along The Watchtower

 
The Original Version of "All Along the Watch Tower" by Dave Mason

 
Dave Matthews Band - All Along The Watchtower (Woodstock 99)

 
Eddie Vedder - All Along the Watchtower (Water on the Road DVD)


U2 - All along the watchtower HQ (live '88)


Bruce Springsteen & Neil Young - All Along The Watchtower


Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen -All Along The Watchtower-Forever Young


Grateful Dead - All Along The Watchtower - 9/30/89

Eric Clapton & Lenny Kravitz - All Along The Watchtower


XTC-All along the watchtower


Jeff Healey Band - All Along The Watchtower


Barbara Keith - "All Along The Watchtower", from her rare 1972 LP


Taj Mahal "All Along The Watchtower"


BRYAN FERRY All Along the Watchtower

Michael Hedges - All Along the Watchtower Somerville Reloaded

Cover of the Dylan song. 11/12/97 concert performance at the Somerville Theater, Somerville, MA, less than a month before he died. Tuning D2A2E3E3A3A3.

Śakyamuni Buddha once said, 
this world is an ocean of suffering.
Seung Sahn once said,
so much suffering inside of Nirvana Castles.
what is this world in which we live,
and what do we manifest each day.
there is greed,
this is for sure.
there is hate,
that is for sure.
there is divisiveness and vitriol,
at every juncture of our experience.
the question it seems is what do we do with
all the hate and negativity that comes our way.
don’t react,
that would be losing your heart of love.
do not harden your heart
because you see no answers.
for you,
yes you,
are the answer.
open your heart and engage 
this life of hate and negativity
and become a beacon of light
for your community.
it is painful and not pleasant 
to do this,
but if you allow your heart 
to completely break,
you will find your true-self
shining back at you in the marketplace.
none of us has the power
to change the world,
yet we all have the ability
to change ourselves.
once we do can do this,
we begin to realize
this is not a global problem,
it is right here
in our own back yards.
so, where do we begin you ask.
be kind,
do no harm,
be respectful
and know that 
these simple acts
will change the world.

Wonji Dharma

the meaning of thanksgiving

the meaning of thanksgiving

we aspire in this lifetime

to embody the love and compassion

of Avalokiteśvara.

we take many vows

along this path

only to ignore them

or not break them knowingly.

without intending to do harm

we also do much harm indeed,

for we live in this house

of frailty and impermanence.

the reason we give pause

and rest in our appreciation,

is that others have helped us

along this path,

with love, support, guidance

and most of all unconditional compassion.

family and friends who walk

this crooked path together,

point out the potholes

and sharp turns to protect us.

may we all rejoice in our family

of seven billion people today,

and know that each one of us

is special, and deserving

of the same love that we aspire towards.

Wonji Dharma

what is our life

originally, there is nothing,
we come into this world not knowing.
life evolves into learning,
then we attach to our ideas.
letting go always comes later,
we cannot do it when we are young,
this natural process of growing
and becoming an adult
is the way we all must evolve.
once we enter into our adult and checking state
we can begin to let all of our learning go.
it is here and now
that true don’t know exists.
it is the manifestation
of our true self
that transcends the boundaries of thought.

Dogs - Roger Waters

Dogs - Roger Waters


You gotta be crazy, you gotta have a real need.

You gotta sleep on your toes, and when you're on the street,

You gotta be able to pick out the easy meat with your eyes closed.

And then moving in silently, down wind and out of sight,

You gotta strike when the moment is right without thinking.




And after a while, you can work on points for style.

Like the club tie, and the firm handshake,

A certain look in the eye and an easy smile.

You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to,

So that when they turn their backs on you,

You'll get the chance to put the knife in.




You gotta keep one eye looking over your shoulder.

You know it's going to get harder, and harder, and harder as you

get older.

And in the end you'll pack up and fly down south,

Hide your head in the sand,

Just another sad old man,

All alone and dying of cancer.




And when you loose control, you'll reap the harvest you have sown.

And as the fear grows, the bad blood slows and turns to stone.

And it's too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw

around.

So have a good drown, as you go down, all alone,

Dragged down by the stone.




I gotta admit that I'm a little bit confused.

Sometimes it seems to me as if I'm just being used.

Gotta stay awake, gotta try and shake off this creeping malaise.

If I don't stand my own ground, how can I find my way out of this

maze?




Deaf, dumb, and blind, you just keep on pretending

That everyone's expendable and no-one has a real friend.

And it seems to you the thing to do would be to isolate the winner

And everything's done under the sun,

And you believe at heart, everyone's a killer.




Who was born in a house full of pain.

Who was trained not to spit in the fan.

Who was told what to do by the man.

Who was broken by trained personnel.

Who was fitted with collar and chain.

Who was given a pat on the back.

Who was breaking away from the pack.

Who was only a stranger at home.

Who was ground down in the end.

Who was found dead on the phone.

Who was dragged down by the stone.

Growing Up - And So Is Love

I found this on You Tube, and it is quite beautiful. Such a marvelous mix of Bernardo Bertolucci's film Little Buddha, and Kate Bush's song And So is Love.

Little Buddha is a 1994 feature film by Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Chris Isaak, Bridget Fonda, and Keanu Reeves as Prince Siddhartha (the Buddha before his enlightenment).

"And So Is Love" is a song written and recorded by musician Kate Bush. It was the fourth and final single release from the album The Red Shoes. Guest star Eric Clapton plays guitar on the track.

Released on 7 November 1994, the single climbed to number 26 in the UK Singles Chart. Its entry into the Top 40 marked Bush's first appearance on Top of the Pops in nine years. The lyric is about the end of a love affair, with the narrator declaring that both life and love are sad, and deciding that for the "sake of love," the two must set each other free.

 I remember asking Zen Master Seung Sahn what he thought about this movie after he had seen it. He told me, "Ah this is Westerners big mistake, everybody is interested in 'Enlightenment,' but Buddha's gift was the 43 years of teaching he gave us following that moment. So, this movie only deals with enlightenment and not with the difficult task of helping others to wake up to their own true nature."

Cranky Old Man

When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in an Australian country town, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value.
Later, when the nurses were going through his meagre possessions, They found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.

One nurse took her copy to Melbourne. The old man's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas editions of magazines around the country and appearing in mags for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.

And this old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this 'anonymous' poem winging across the Internet.

Cranky Old Man

What do you see nurses? . . .. . .What do you see?
What are you thinking .. . when you're looking at me?
A cranky old man, . . . . . .not very wise,
Uncertain of habit .. . . . . . . .. with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food .. . ... . . and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice . .'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice . . .the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . . . .. . . A sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not . . . ... lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding . . . .The long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking?. .Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse .you're not looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am . . . . .. As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding, .. . . . as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten . .with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters .. . . .. . who love one another
A young boy of Sixteen . . . .. with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now . . .. . . a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty . . . ..my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows .. .. .that I promised to keep.
At Twenty-Five, now . . . . .I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . . And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty . .. . . . . My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . .. With ties that should last.
At Forty, my young sons .. .have grown and are gone,
But my woman is beside me . . to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more, .. ...Babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . . My loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me . . . . My wife is now dead.
I look at the future ... . . . . I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing .. . . young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . And the love that I've known.
I'm now an old man . . . . . . .. and nature is cruel.
It's jest to make old age . . . . . . . look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles .. .. . grace and vigour, depart.
There is now a stone . . . where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass . A young man still dwells,
And now and again . . . . . my battered heart swells
I remember the joys . . . . .. . I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living . . . . . . . life over again.
I think of the years, all too few . . .. gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people .. . . . .. . . open and see.
Not a cranky old man .
Look closer . . . . see .. .. . .. .... . ME!!

One of my all time favorite songs, many of us try to ignore our dark sides. Being truthful is the first step to self awareness, I hope you enjoy.

Symphony of Science - The Poetry of Reality

>

Tonight Rev. Doshim Halaw shared another video by the same author with me and as I have followed all of these scientists and have been writing poetry for almost twenty years I felt it was appropriate to post this video here. There is a deep truth in the word of this video, I hope you enjoy.

The Poetry of Reality is the fifth installment in the Symphony of Science music video series. It features 12 scientists and science enthusiasts, including Michael Shermer, Jacob Bronowski, Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Richard Dawkins, Jill Tarter, Lawrence Krauss, Richard Feynman, Brian Greene, Stephen Hawking, Carolyn Porco, and PZ Myers, promoting science through words of wisdom.

we go from blue to green

and then from

brown to saffron, red and gold.

by natural process this essence unfurls.

yet from gold to green

is a renewing of dharma

in fresh and vibrant ways

and this has always found its way.

from apparent end to a beginning

never understood

and from beginning to end

always understood.

why is it we breathe in and breathe out?

is it for my consumption of food and pleasure,

or is it to assist me in an aspiration to help others on this path?

does it matter if others recognize these efforts,

or do the efforts themselves result in our intended effort?

awakening is the only aspiration of our practicing,

if our directions deviates from this aspiration,

then we have totally lost our way.

is this life our own?

or is it just a passing thought

that we substitute for our lives?

these thoughts come and go

as well as our experiences

of the unfolding of reality.

do we live our existence?

or do we live a life

that has been handed to us?

this may not make sense to you right now,

and if it does not

please try to concentrate on why,

as our lives are so short

that even the slightest distraction

steals most, if not all of our unfolding life

from us and leaves us with

the expectations of others.