we are in the midst
of a world in union
and the separation of thought.
do we see an image,
or do we exist in the moment?
there is no outside
nor is there a tangible inside,
yet we make this
and it has somehow
come to exist
as our world of thoughts.
there is a dance
in which we circle
round and round
till we come back
to the place
where we began.
humanity is the essence
running through all
of our veins,
so why call others by a name?
if we must
use a name,
just call you me;
and know that
I am you.
love is like the
transcendent blue sky,
ideas are merely
clouds forming
and dissipating
in the clear blue sky.
the clear blue sky
is always present
and never denies
the clouds from forming,
yet when the clouds must leave
the sky is never holds on.
be the sky
and let the misty places pass
of their own volition.
be as the unborn essence
of your original existence
within the timeless grace
of the dance.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
christmas 2007
two thousand five hundred
and sixty three years ago-
a sage appeared who vowed
to save us from this state of dis-ease
and life’s seeming un-satisfactoriness.
now, for eighty generations
teacher after teacher,
student after student,
has passed on the obvious
truths of this instruction.
the simple and the profane,
the obvious and the hidden,
what must we do to awaken,
from our sleeping malaise?
we merely are conduits
of the eternal truth,
if we have awoken
to the eternal truth,
the realization that
my life is not my own
leads to the understanding that
I must help to ferry across
all sentient beings
for there is no separation of my self.
there is nothing special
in awakening to this moment,
yet the awakening is
beyond thinking
and beyond our thoughts.
jesus said to his disciples;
“through me life can be gained,
only through my life
can union with God be assured!”
what is this teaching
of mysterious wonder
and uncertainty?
we have come to this life
with no possessions
and no ideas to be achieved.
why do we now
wish to pervert the procession
and corrupt it with our thoughts?
winter solstice
jesus was born in spring
not during the winter solstice
which is celebrated by us.
legend becomes story
and the story becomes fact,
but we must realize that
within the realm of the truth,
this season is about love.
love between us and ours,
love between life and us,
love between the present moment
and the realization
that we can always
become a better person.
so try, try, try, for ten thousand years
to be the best that you can ever be.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
what is a belief?
what is a belief?
for we hold them
so tightly that we
are willing to cause
the most inhumane suffering
for them.
we attach
and we hold
and then we
separate ourselves
from the brilliant
love that shines
and yet we are
blind to its brilliance..
why is this so?
we don’t want to
connect to our own
self made suffering,
we would rather
blame it on the most
convenient thing that appears.
we are love,
please touch it now.
we are compassion,
please look in the mirror
and acknowledge your own pain.
we are teachers,
please learn the lessons being presented.
and most of all,
just know that love
is ultimately
all there is.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Beyond Ideas
beyond ideas of
right and wrong,
beyond the essence
or the very edge
of our thinking,
lies the nature
of our very existence.
should we come
with an idea,
we should gently
let it go,
should we come
with an expectation,
we should kindly
yield to this moment.
I came to Zen
full of suffering
and pain,
and through
the gentle guidance
of our master
I have found peace.
it is now time
for each of us
to learn how
to be the gentle giant
of a man he is,
and how to guide
in his shadow
and support
his great legacy
for the generations
to come.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
silver and gold
silver and gold
shimmering silver moon,
sparkling white clouds.
hiding—then illuminating
then highlighting the
glowing silver orb.
what life lives in eclipse
of yellow sun
and silver moon.
one reflects
the other,
but which one gives life?
does the sun give
life to the moon,
or does the moon
reflect life into
the sun?
in this life
only one choice
do we have.
let go—
silver light
reflects from
the golden source.
silver
and
gold
are one
and the same.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Suzuki Roshi
green mountains
and blue sky,
ancient sequoias
stand like sentinels
along a meandering creek.
deep in the forest
moss and lichen
cover the trees,
a carpet of leaves
offered below my feet.
wild turkeys roam
in a small intimate group.
a family of deer
graze just up ahead.
down the trail,
to the right—
stands Suzuki Roshi’s stupa.
offer incense, then wait
just maybe an hour or so.
a long time ago Roshi said:
“we die and we do not die,
I think this the correct understanding.”
then I realize,
like a drop of water
he has returned to the river.
Roshi asks me quite softly,
“are you a drop of water,
or have you entered the stream?”
my answer is quite simple,
“how may I help you?”
because, of course;
this river runs through
each one of us—
in an unending flow.
written during a solo retreat at Sonoma Mountain Zen Center thanks to my friend Jakusho Kwong roshi
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