Bamboo and Plum Blossom

Bamboo and Plum Blossom

Bamboo and Plum Blossom

Bamboo and Plum Blossom
Bamboo and Plum Blossom

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Kobayashi Issa



The distant mountain's
Blossoms cast their light..
East window.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Shih Shu



Against the gently flowing spring morning
The arrogant rattle of a passing coach
Peach blossoms beckon from the distant village
Willow branches caress the shoulder of my pond
.
As bream and carp flash their golden scales
And mated ducks link embroidered wings
The poet stares about: this way, then that--
Caught in a web beyond all speaking.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Dogen



To what shall
I liken the world?
Moonlight, reflected
In dewdrops.
Shaken from a crain's bill.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

The Flower Adornment Sutra



In ten directions everywhere, throughout the sea of lands,
Every hair-tip encompasses oceans of the past, present and future.
So, too, there is a sea of Buddhas, a sea of Buddha lands;
Pervading them all, I cultivate for seas of endless time.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Saisho



Earth, mountains, rivers - hidden in this nothingness.
In this nothingness - earth, mountains, rivers revealed.
Spring flowers, winter snows:
There's no being or non-being, nor denial itself.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Ryokan



First blooming in the Western Paradise,
The lotus has delighted us for ages.
Its white petals are covered with dew,
its jade green leaves spread over the pond,
And its pure fragrance perfumes the wind.
Cool and majestic, it raises from the murky water.
The sun sets behind the mountains
But I remain in the darkness, too captivated to leave.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Meng Hao-jan



Moored in island mist,
as the sun sets, a traveler's grief arises.
.
Beyond the great plain, the sky closes on trees.
On this gentle river, the moon arrives.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Li Po



CLEARING AT DAWN
.
The fields are chill, the sparse rain has stopped;
The colors of Spring teem on every side.
With leaping fish the blue pond is full;
With singing thrushes the green boughs droop
The flowers of the field have dabbled their powdered cheeks'
The mountain grasses are bent level at the waist.
By the bamboo stream the last fragment of cloud
Blown by the wind slowly scatters away.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Monk Saigyo



Sending my soul away
To where the moon has sunk
Behind the mountain,
What shall I do with my body
Left in the darkness?

Friday, March 19, 2010

Kobayashi Issa



In the cherry blossom's shade
there's no such thing
as a stranger.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Dogen



Because the flowers blooming
In our original home
Are everlasting,
Though springtimes may come and go
Their colors do not fade.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Matsuo Basho



Crow's
Abandoned nest,
A plum tree.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Lu Tung Pin



My heart is the clear water in the stony pond.
Right now it is invaded by the peach blossom shadows.
As soon as I arrive at heaven's palaces
I shall settle down with my seven-stringed lute.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Pang Yun



Well versed in the Buddha way,
I go the non-way
Without abandoning my
Ordinary person's affairs.
The conditioned and
Name-and-form,
All are flowers in the sky.
Nameless and formless,
I leave birth-and-death.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Dhammapada



Reciting a small portion of the scriptures;
But diligently putting it into practise;
Letting go of passion, aggression, and confusion:
Revering the truth with a clear mind;
Not clinging to anything, here or after;
Brings the harvet of the holy life.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Layman Makusho



Loving old priceless things,
I've scorned those seeking
Truth outside themselves:
Here, on the tip of the nose.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Keijo Shurin



The road enters green mountains near evening's dark;
Beneath the white cherry trees, a Buddhist temple
Who's priest doesn't know what regret for spring's passing means-
Each stroke of his bell startles more blossoms into falling.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Bodhidharma



If you use your mind to try and understand reality,
you will understand neither your mind nor reality.
If you try and understand reality without using your mind,
you will understand both your mind and reality.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Tich Nhat Hanh



My head pillowed on waves--
I drift with the flow--
broad river,
deep sky.
They float, they sink,
like bubbles,
like wings.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Joshu



It is too clear and so it is hard to see.
a dunce once searched for a fire with a
lighted lantern.
Had he known what fire was,
He could have cooked his rice much sooner.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Matsuo Basho



A caterpillar,
this deep in fall--
still not a butterfly

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Hsueh-tou



The moon floats above the pines,
And the night veranda is cold
As the ancient, clear sound comes from
your finger tips.
The old melody usually makes the listeners weep,
But zen music is beyond sentiment.
Do not play unless the Great Sound of Lao-Tzu
accompanies you

Friday, March 5, 2010

Loy Ching Yuen



No use fretting over gold, beauty, fame;
Nurturing these, how can we calm
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.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Saisho



Earth, mountains, rivers - hidden in this nothingness
In this nothingness - earth, mountains, rivers revealed.
Spring flowers, winter snows:
There's no being or non-being, nor denile itself.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Hakuin



Past, present, future: unattainable,
Yet clear as the moteless sky.
Late at night the stool's cold as iron,
But the moonlit window smells of plum.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Ryokan



The wind has settled, the blossoms have fallen;
Birds sing, the mountains grow dark--
This is the wondrous power of Buddhism.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Zhang Jiuling



Thoughts
.
A lonely swan from the sea flies,
To alight on puddles it does not deign.
Nesting in the poplar of pearls
It spies and questions green birds twain:
"Don't you fear the threat of slings,
perched on branches so high?
Nice clothes invite pointing fingers,
High climbers god's good will defy.
Bird-hunters will grave me in vain,
For I roam the limitless sky."