...

Since before anyone remembers
It has been clear
Shining like silver
Though the moonlight penetrates it
And the wind ruffles it
No trace of either remains
Today I would not dare
To expound the secret
Of the stream bed
But I can tell you
That the blue dragon
Is coiled there

~ Muso (1275-1351)

Contemplate the mind;
This seat of emptiness
Is subtle and abstruse.
Without shape or form,
It has great spiritual power.

It can eliminate all calamities
And accomplish all merits.
Though its essence is empty,
It is the measure of dharmas.

~ Master Fu (497-569)

In the awakened eye
Mountains and rivers
Completely disappear.
The eye of delusion
Looks out upon
Deep fog and clouds
Alone on my zazen mat
I forget the days
As they pass
The wisteria has grown
Thick over the eaves
Of my hut.

~ Muso (1275-1351)

A man of the Way comes
Rapping at my brushwood gate,
Wants to discuss the
Essentials of Zen experience.
Don’t take it wrong if this
Mountain monk’s too lazy
To open his mouth:
Late spring warblers
Singing their hearts out,
A village of drifting petals.

~ Jakush Tsu (1290 –1367)

Time enough for blurring out
the world when I am dead.
Zen dudes might as well be
just Otakus of the head.

[wow! this post is 2600 -- not sure what to make of that]

July 14
Where humility had formerly stood for a forced feeding on humble pie,
it now begins to mean the nourishing ingredient which can give us serenity.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 74

How often do I focus on my problems and frustrations?
When I am having a "good day" these same problems shrink in importance and my preoccupation with them dwindles.
Wouldn't it be better if I could find a key to unlock the "magic" of my "good days" for use on the woes of my "bad days?"



https://www.aa.org/daily-reflections

The iris pond has flowered
Before the old temple;
I sell tea this evening
By the water’s edge.
It is steeped in the cups
With the moon and stars;
Drink and wake forever
From your worldly sleep.

~ Baisao (1675-1763)

writing without internet
who could read my words?
tofu without fermenters
who will sniff my curds?

cleverness occurs and yet
I struggle to deny it.
I'm ever so sagacious but
who would ever buy it?

Who would have expected that the
Self nature is fundamentally
Pure and clean?
Who would have expected that the
Self nature is fundamentally
Beyond birth and death?

Altar Sutra

I climb these hills
As if walking on air
Body too light to fall
Bamboo staff resting
Against a great stone
Torn cloak snapping in the wind
A lone bird soars the azure depths
Far distant springs reflected in its eye
Carefree, singing a timeless song
Gone, on a journey without end.

~ Shih-shu (17th c)

Just put thoughts to rest;
Don’t seek outwardly anymore.
When things come up,
Then give them your attention;
Just trust what is functional
In you at present,
And you have nothing
To be concerned about.

~ Linji (d. 867)

@rookie54 said
I climb these hills
As if walking on air
Body too light to fall
Bamboo staff resting
Against a great stone
Torn cloak snapping in the wind
A lone bird soars the azure depths
Far distant springs reflected in its eye
Carefree, singing a timeless song
Gone, on a journey without end.

~ Shih-shu (17th c)

As soon as you accept and approve anything,
recognizing it as your own,
you are immediately bound hand and foot and cannot move.
So even if there are a thousand possibilities,
nothing is right once you have recognized, accepted,
and approved it as your own.

It is like making a boat and outfitting it for a long journey to a land of treasures,
then as soon as you get started you drive a stake in the ground and tie the boat down,
then row with all your might.

You may row till the end of time,
but you will still be at the shore.
You see the boat moving from side to side,
and think you are on the move,
but actually you haven’t gotten anywhere.

~ Foyan (1067-1120)

There’s a tree that existed before the woods,
In age twice as old.
Its roots suffered as the valley changed,
Its leaves deformed by wind and frost.
People all laugh at its withered aspect,
Caring nothing about the core’s beauty.
When the bark is stripped off,
Only essence remains.

~ Han Shan (9th c)