A Dream

guest tells host about last night's dream, host shares with guest about his own. who is it that can say that these two are also in a dream? originally nothing except absolute calm, so why does the western wind blow down the flowers? the dog is chasing after a bone, a frightened goose flys away..... gaw, gaw, gaw... July, 1973

One Mind

One mind perceives

infinite time.

One is all.

Everything is one.

To let go one's hands

when hanging over a cliff

is to be a great man.

Winter goes North,

Spring comes from the South.

by Zen Master Seung Sahn

Zen Master Seung Sahn

Many years ago I collected the Poems that were written by Zen Master Seung Sahn following his encouragement of me trying to write Zen Poetry. I have often thought of publishing this work but have chosen not to deal with the intellectual capital issues with the Kwan Um School of Zen. My issues are not about ownership, they are about sharing the teachings of a great teacher.

Most of these are public domain, and as I don't make any profit off this blog, I will shift from mainly my own poetry, to sharing some of the brilliant insights of a great and honest Zen Master. So, until I post differently, I will be posting poems written by Seung Sahn and will try to post only those that haven't been cataloged in his book Bone of Space.

mere thoughts of the moment

life and death are the same. good and bad are manifest sometimes simultaneously. opposites are merely made in the mind, we exist outside of thought yet few understand. stop all this thinking which creates the dukkha, just breathe and see the expression of the senses. be as the moments unfold, be as the sounds rise and fall, be when you feel, and be when you smell, all will be simple within this simple direction beyond thoughts.

for my mother, Maud

based up recent posts on my Zen Mirror Blog I thought I'd post this poem for my mom. for my mother, Maud 吊唁母親茂德 there comes a time in everyone’s life 人生在世 when the finality of death 終于一死 becomes an intimate yet unwanted friend, 誰人無死 and we find ourselves with no other choice 無可耐何 but to grieve 悲痛萬分 and to let go 離別淒涼 and to remember 無限懷念 the brightness that we all once shared. 美好回憶 in those times of her life- 她的一生 which she lived just right, 無可非議 I can find myself here and now 此刻吾身 being sanctified by this very moment. 深受淨化 the presence of her blessings 籠罩福音 both cherished and sacred deep within my soul. 悲歡交加 for all the myriad reasons 萬千原由 that we find our own breath flowing in and out, 你我呼吸 it is in just this way 不外如此 that we open to cycles of human existence, 生命循環 we can pay homage to the legacy 孝忠為道 of each moment, each single moment 每時每刻 this can not be explained. 無需解釋 love is the universal force 愛為天責 between us all, 深入人心 and those who are left behind 後來之士 with our treasured relationships 以愛為懷 that will never – ever – pass from this bounded existence 永恒天下 realize the importance of sharing that love – just now. 博愛無價

a thousand paths

what would you have me say about the thousands of paths that lead to the same ultimate summit? is it this practice or this body or even this lifetime that allows us to see the connection of all humanity in a drop of rain. I cannot say what I am, yet I do exist for the moment, but what is that existence if I squander it on thinking and miss the ultimate reality of the unfolding? I must say this you are and this is the truth, but what is the truth or your existence now!

miramar beach two

for six hundred billion years this satellite in space spins three hundred sixty five and a quarter times to complete its endless trip. the passage of one revolution about its axis. the passage of one rotation about its star. six hundred billion times— and still this wonder, water in the ocean— older than imagination. the stars in the heavens— hotter than comprehension. we come into this world with nothing in our hands— we leave this world and where do we go? the ocean, the sun and sky are constant reminders salty smell— warm breeze— blue sky— how can I help you today?