Bamboo and Plum Blossom

Bamboo and Plum Blossom

Bamboo and Plum Blossom

Bamboo and Plum Blossom
Bamboo and Plum Blossom

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Yoka Genkaku



I have entered the deep mountains
To silence and beauty;
In a profound valley beneath high cliffs,
I sit under old pine trees.
Zazen in my rustic cottage
Is peaceful, lonely, and truly
Comfortable.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Wang Wei



Bamboo Grove Retreat
.
Alone in a secluded bamboo grove,
Picking my lute, whistling loudly.
Deep in a forest unknown to men,
Then the moon comes,
.
shares its light with me.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Feng kan



Feng-kan (Big Stick)
.
Actually there isn't a thing
much less any dust to wipe away
who can master this
doesn't need to sit there stiff

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Loy Ching Yuen


Loy Ching-Yuen
.
No use fretting over gold, beauty, or fame;
Nurturing these, how can we calmn
Our fluttering heart?
Non attachment brings deep truth
And a truthful nature brings immortality.
Empty your heart,
Sit quietly on a mat
In meditation we become one with All;
Tao billows like the vapors
In a mountain valley,
And its supernatural power wafts into our soul.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Chiyono



In this way and that I have tried to
save the old pail
Since the bamboo strip was weakening
and about to break
Until at last the bottom fell out.
No more water in the pail!
No more moon in the water!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Matsuo Basho



Crow's
Abandoned nest,
Plum tree.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Manan



Unfettered at last, a travelling monk,
I pass the old Zen barrier.
Mine is a traceless stream-and-cloud life,
Of these mountains, which shall be my home?

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Saigyo


Now I understand!
When to remember me
She vowed,
She said she would forget me,
But kindly!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Li Shangyin


Li Shang-yin
.
Falling Petals
.
Gone is the guest from the Chamber of Rank,
And petals, confused in my little garden,
Zigagging down my crooked path,
Escort like dancers the setting sun.
Oh, how can I bear to sweep them away?
To a sad-eyed watcher they never return.
Heart's fragrance is spent with the ending of spring
And nothing left but a tear-stained robe.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Su Shih


PU SUAN TZU
.
A fragment moon hangs from a bare tung tree
The water clock runs out, all is still
Who sees the dim figure come and go alone
Misty, indistinct, the shadow of a lone wild goose?
.
Startled, she gets up, looks back
With longing no one sees
And will not settle on any of the cold branches
Along the chill and lonely beach.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Lao Tzu


Meet it, and you do not see its beginning.
Follow it, and you do not see its end.
Stay with the ancient Way
in order to master what is present
Knowing the primeval beginning
is the essence of the way.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Yongjia Xuanjue



To live in nothingness is to ignore cause and effect;
This chaos leads only to disaster.
The one who clings to vacancy, rejecting the world of things,
Escapes from drowning but leaps into fire.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Pang-yun


Layman Pang-yun
.
My daily activities are not unusual,
I'm just naturally in harmony with them,
Grasping nothing, discarding nothing...
Supernatural power and supernatural activity -
Drawing water and carrying firewood

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Hanshan


ASKING THE WAY TO COLD MOUNTAIN
.
Men ask the way to Cold Mountain
Cold Mountain: there is no through trail.
In summer, ice doesn't melt
The rising sun blurs in swirling fog.
How did I make it?
My heart's not the same as yours.
If your heart was like mine
You'd get it and be right here.

Gao Pian


A MOUNTAIN PAVILION ON A SUMMER DAY
.
The shade from trees is dense and summer days are long
An upside down pavilion is mirrored in the pond
Crystal curtains shimmer in the faintest wind
A trellis of roses fills the courtyard with perfume

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Du.Fu


A VIEW OF TAISHAN
.
What shall I say of the great peak? --
The ancient dukedoms are everywhere green,
Inspired and stirred by the breath of creation,
With the Twin Forces balancing day and night.
...I bare my breast toward opening clouds,
I strain my sight after birds flying home,
When shall I reach the top and hold
All mountains in a single glance?

Li Po


Drinking Alone With The Moon
.
From a pot of wine among the flowers.
I drank alone. There was no one with me--
Till raising my cup, I ask the bright moon
To bring me my shadow and make us three.
Alas, the moon was unable to drink
And my shadow tagged me vacantly;
But still for awhile I had these friends
To cheer me through the end of spring...
I sang. The moon encouraged me
I danced. My shadow tumbled after.
As long as I knew, we were born companions.
And then I was drunk.And we lost one another.
...Shall goodwill ever be secure?
I watch the long road of the River of Stars.

Friday, February 12, 2010

LU YUN


THE VALLEY WIND
.
Living in retirement beyond the World,
Silently enjoying isolation,
I pull the rope of my door tighter
And stuff my window with roots and ferns.
My spirit is tuned to the spring season:
At the fall of the year
there is autumn in my heart.
Thus imitating cosmic changes,
My cottage becomes a universe.>

Thursday, February 11, 2010

BUSON



AN INN FOR
KAPPA TO MAKE LOVE IN -
THE SUMMER MOON

Buson

.
GREEN PLUM -
IT DRAWS HER EYEBROWS
TOGETHER