Bamboo and Plum Blossom

Bamboo and Plum Blossom

Bamboo and Plum Blossom

Bamboo and Plum Blossom
Bamboo and Plum Blossom

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Wei Ying-wu (737-791)

The West River at Ch’u-chou
Alone, for love of hidden herbs, which flourish by the stream.
Above, the yellow oriole sings deep among the trees.
Spring’s flood tides, and rain, together, to this evening come.
No man at the ferry:  boat drifts there, on its own.

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Ikkyu Sojun (1394-1481)

To Lady Mori with Deepest Gratitude and Thanks



The tree was barren of leaves but you brought a new spring.
Long green sprouts, verdant flowers, fresh promise.
Mori, if I ever forget my profound gratitude to you,
Let me burn in hell forever.
 
Ikkyu Sojun :

Friday, February 20, 2015

Cao Cao (155-220)

Walking from Xiamen and Looking at the Blue Sea
Cao Cao

East of Jieshi mountain, I gaze at the blue sea.
The water dances so gently, the mountain island towers.
Trees here grow thick, a hundred grasses are lush.
The autumn wind soughs, great waves rise up.
The path of the sun and moon, seems to come from within.
The splendid Milky Way, seems to come from inside.
Oh, I am so lucky, to be singing my song!

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Matsuo Basho (1644-1694)

Spring Aging
        Basho 1644-1694

This spring
        Why am I getting so old?
From the clouds
        birds flee

Friday, February 13, 2015

Thich Nhat Hanh

If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in thissheet of paper.  Without a cloud there will be no water; without water,
the trees cannot grow; and without trees, you cannot make paper.  So
the cloud is in here.  The existence of this page is dependent upon the
existence of a cloud.  Paper and cloud are so close.
     -   Thich Nhat Hahn

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Seng- Ts'an (d.606)

Hsin-Hsin Ming

The Mind of Absolute Trust

 
Do not remain in the dualistic state;
avoid such pursuits carefully.
If there is even a trace
of this and that, of right and wrong,
the Mind-essence will be lost in confusion.
Although all dualities come from the One,
do not be attached even to this One.
When the mind exists undisturbed in the Way,
nothing in the world can offend,
and when a thing can no longer offend,
it ceases to exist in the old way.
When no discriminating thoughts arise,
the old mind ceases to exist.
When thought objects vanish,
the thinking-subject vanishes.
Things are objects because of the subject;
the mind is such because of things.
Understand the relativity of these two
and the basic reality: the unity of emptiness.
In this Emptiness the two are indistinguishable
and each contains in itself the whole world.
If you do not discriminate between coarse and fine
you will not be tempted to prejudice and opinion.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Thich Nhat Hanh

Drink Your Tea

~
Drink your tea slowly and reverently,
as if it is the axis
on which the world earth revolves
- slowly, evenly, without
rushing toward the future;
Live the actual moment.
Only this moment is life.
- Thich Nhat Hahn

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Taigu Ryokan (1758-1831)

Buddha preached in the twelve divisions,                each division full of purest truth.                East wind -- rain comes in the night,                making all the forest fresh and new.                No sutra that does not save the living,                no branch in the forest not visited by spring.                Learn to understand the meaning in them,                don't try to decide which is "valid," which is not.
                                      -    Ryokan, 1758-1831

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Saigyo Hoshi (1118-1190)

As banked clouds



As banked clouds
are swept apart by the wind,
at dawn the sudden cry
of the first wild geese
winging across the mountains.
 
Saigyo :

Ono no Komachi (825-900)

Blossoms blooming



Blossoms blooming
Yet making no seed are
The sea-god's
Garlanded
Whitecaps offshore.
 
Ono no Komachi :