Zen Poems

THERE IS NOTHING WHICH YOU ARE AND NOTHING WHICH YOU ARE NOT

Sharing a Mountain Hut with a Cloud A lonely hut on the mountain-peak towering above a thousand others; One half is occupied by an old monk and the other by a cloud: Last night it was stormy and the cloud was blown away; After all a cloud could not equal the old man's quiet way. Kuei-tsung Chih-chih, a monk who lived in a humble hut on Lu-shan ( Rozan) (Essays in Zen Buddhism Second Series 352)

Carrying Water, Chopping Wood Miraculous power and marvelous activity, Drawing water and hewing wood! P'ang Yn ( H Un, 740-808), a lay disciple of the eighth century, also known as P'ang Chshih ( H Koji) (Ch-shih/koji is a title of respect for a lay student of Ch'an)(The Way of Zen 221 o) Ch'uan Teng Lu, 8. (The Way of Zen 133) How wondrous this, how mysterious! I carry fuel, I draw water. (Zen and Japanese Culture 16) How wondrously supernatural, And how miraculous this! I draw water, and I carry fuel. (Essays in Zen Buddhism First Series 319) Supernatural power, wondrous activity just a matter of carrying fuel or drawing water. (Zen Words for the Heart 57) Daily, nothing particular, Only nodding to myself, Nothing to choose, nothing to discard. No coming, no going, No person in purple, Blue mountains without a speck of dust. I exercise occult and subtle power,

Carrying water, shouldering firewood. (Two Zen Classics 262-3) In my daily life there are no other chores than Those that happen to fall into my hands. Nothing I choose, nothing reject. Nowhere is there ado, nowhere a slip. I have no other emblems of my glory than The mountains and hills without a spot of dust. My magical power and spiritual exercise consists in Carrying water and gathering firewood. P'ang Ch-shih (The Golden Age of Zen 94, 304 n.5) "Ma-tsu's outstanding lay disciple, Pang Yn" (The Golden Age of Zen 94)

Stillness The ten directions converging, Each learning to do nothing, This is the hall of Buddha's training; Mind's empty, all's finished. P'ang Yn ( H Un) (Two Zen Classics 263)

Without Name and Form 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. P'ang Yn ( H Un)

Mind at Peace When the mind is at peace, the world too is at peace. Nothing real, nothing absent. Not holding on to reality, not getting stuck in the void, you are neither holy or wise, just an ordinary fellow who has completed his work. P'ang Yn ( H Un) (The Enlightened Heart 34)

Being as Is Food and clothes sustain Body and life; I advise you to learn Being as is. When it's time, I move my hermitage and go, And there's nothing To be left behind. P'ang Yn ( H Un)

The Ultimate Attainment The past is already past.

Don't try to regain it. The present does not stay. Don't try to touch it. From moment to moment. The future has not come; Don't think about it Beforehand. Whatever comes to the eye, Leave it be. There are no commandments To be kept; There's no filth to be cleansed. With empty mind really Penetrated, the dharmas Have no life. When you can be like this, You've completed The ultimate attainment. P'ang Yn ( H Un)

Mindfulness Spring comes with its flowers, autumn with the moon, summer with breezes, winter with snow; when useless things don't stick in the mind, that is your best season. Wu-men Huai-kai ( Mumon Ekai), from Wu-men kuan (Mumonkan) case 19 (The Light Inside the Dark 97) The spring flowers, the autumn moon; Summer breezes, winter snow. If useless things do not clutter your mind, You have the best days of your life. (Two Zen Classics 73) Hundreds of spring flowers; the autumnal moon; A refreshing summer breeze; winter snow; Free thy mind of all idle thoughts, And for thee how enjoyable every season is! (Essays in Zen Buddhism First Series 349)

Hundreds of flowers in the spring, the moon in the autumn, A cool breeze in summer; and snow in winter; If there is no vain cloud in your mind For you it is a good season. (Zen Comments on the Mumonkan 140) In spring hundreds of flowers, In summer, refreshing breeze. In autumn, harvest moon, In winter, snowflakes accompany you. If useless things do not hand in your mind, Every season is a good season. (Zen Word, Zen Calligraphy 9) Spring has its hundred flowers, Autumn its moon. Summer has its cooling breezes, Winter its snow. If you allow no idle concerns To weight on your heart, Your whole life will be one Perennial good season. (The Golden Age of Zen 286-7)

The Great Tao The Great Tao is without form, The Absolute is without opposite; It is both empty and unmoving, It is not within the flow of Samsara; The Three Realms do not contain it, It is not within past, future, or present.

Nan-ch'an P'u-yan (Nansen Fugan ) (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 58)

The Great Tao has no form, Truth has no counterpart, It is motionless like the Void, It does not wander through [the samsara of] life and death, The Three Worlds do not contain it, Within it there is neither past, nor present, nor future. (The Development of Chinese Zen After the Sixth Patriarch 11-2)

Oneness O Maitreya, O true Maitreya! Thou dividest the body into hundreds of thousands of million forms. Thus manifesting thyself to men of the world; But how they are ignorant of thee! Verse attributed to Pu-tai ( Hotei), one of the Seven Gods of Luck (Essays in Zen Buddhism Second Series 289)

Shan-hui Something there is, prior to heaven and earth, Without form, without sound, all alone by itself. It has the power to control all the changing things; Yet it changes not in the course of the four seasons. Bodhisattva Shan-hui (), better known as Fu Ta-shih () (497-?) (The Golden Age of Zen 254, 322 n.25) Empty-handed, I hold a hoe. Walking on foot, I ride a buffalo. Passing over a bridge, I see The bridge flow, but not the water.

Bodhisattva Shan-hui (), better known as Fu Ta-shih () (497-?) (The Golden Age of Zen 254, 322 n.24) Empty-handed I go and yet the spade is in my hands; I walk on foot, and yet on the back of an ox I am riding: When I pass over the bridge, Lo, the water floweth not, but the bridge doth flow. (Essays in Zen Buddhism First Series 272)

Beyond This World Over the crest of the T'ung-hsuan-feng, The human world is no more. Nothing is outside the Mind; And the eye is filled with green mountains. T'ien-t'ai Te-chao ( Tendai Tokush; 891-972), most prominent disciple of Fayen ( Hgen), and abbot of a temple on Mount T'ung-hsuan-feng (). (The Golden Age of Zen 240, 321 n.37)

Mindfulness I stroll along the stream up to where it ends. I sit down watching the clouds as they begin to rise. Wang Wei (, 699-761) (The Golden Age of Zen 271, 323 n.62)

Oblivion A bird in a secluded grove sings like a flute. Willows sway gracefully with their golden threads. The mountain valley grows the quieter as the clouds return. A breeze brings along the fragrance of the apricot flowers. For a whole day I have sat here encompassed by peace, Till my mind is cleansed in and out of all cares and idle thoughts. I wish to tell you how I feel, but words fail me. If you come to this grove, we can compare notes. Ch'an master Fa-yen ( Hgen) (The Golden Age of Zen 238, 321 n.31)

Suchness The wind traverses the vast sky, clouds emerge from the mountains; Feelings of enlightenment and things of the world are of no concern at all. Zen Master Keizan Jkin ( 1268-1325) From Transmission of the Light ( Denkroku), chap. 22 (Transmission of Light 97)

Nan-ch'an's Serenity Drinking tea, eating rice, I pass my time as it comes; Looking down at the stream, looking up at the mountains, How serene and relaxed I feel indeed!

(Essays in Zen Buddhism First Series 264) Ch'an master Nan-ch'an P'u-yan ( Nansen Fugan)

Serenity At Nantai I sit quietly with an incense burning, One day of rapture, all things are forgotten, Not that mind is stopped and thoughts are put away, But that there is really nothing to disturb my serenity. Shou-an ( Shuan) (Essays in Zen Buddhism First Series 349) Nan-t'ai ( Nantai)

Emptiness Poem Old P'ang requires nothing in the world: All is empty with him, even a seat he has not, For absolute Emptiness reigns in his household; How empty indeed it is with no treasures! When the sun is risen, he walks through Emptiness, When the sun sets, he sleeps in Emptiness; Sitting in Emptiness he sings his empty songs, And his empty songs reverberate through Emptiness: Be not surprised at Emptiness so thoroughly empty, For Emptiness is the seat of all the Buddhas; And Emptiness is not understood by the men of the world, But Emptiness is the real treasure: If you say there's no Emptiness, You commit grave offence against the Buddhas. P'ang (Essays in Zen Buddhism Second Series 341)

Cutting the Spring Breeze Throughout heaven and earth there is not a piece of ground where a single stick could be inserted; I am glad that all things are void, myself and the world: Honored be the sword, three feet long, wielded by the great Yan swordsmen; For it is like cutting a spring breeze in a flash of lightning. (Essays in Zen Buddhism First Series 255 n.2)

There is not a room in the whole universe where one can insert even a single stick; I see the emptiness of all thingsno objects, no persons. I admire the sword of the Great Yan40 three feet in length: [When it cuts at all,] it is like cutting the spring breeze with a flash of lightning.

(Zen and Japanese Culture 201-2)The Mongolian dynasty (1260-1367) that invaded China and replaced the Sung dynasty. (Zen and Japanese Culture 202) [ Yan; Sung] The heaven and earth afford me no shelter at all; I'm glad, unreal are body and soul. Welcome thy weapon, O warrior of Yuan! Thy trusty steel, That flashes lightning, cuts the wind of Spring, I feel. (The Spirit of Zen 95) In body there exists no soul. The mind is not real at all. Now try on me thy flashing steel, As if it cuts the wind of Spring, I feel. (file ZenHistory)

Even the Fire is Cool In the midsummer heat, the gate is closed and we're wearing monk's robes, In addition, there are no pines or bamboos shading the rooms and corridors, For a peaceful meditation, we need not to go to the mountains and streams; When thoughts are quieted down, fire itself is cool and refreshing. Ch'an monk Tu Kou-hao ( To Junkaku)

Immovable Mind You wish to know the spirit of Yung-ming Zen? Look at the lake in front of the gate. When the sun shines, it radiates light and brightness, When the wind comes, there arise ripples and waves. Yung-ming Yen-shou ( Ymy Enju; 904-975) disciple of T'ien-t'ai Te-chao ( Tendai Tokush; 891-972). (The Golden Age of Zen 241, 321 n.41)

Hsiang-yen's Gatha of Enlightenment Forgetting all knowledge at one stroke, I do not need cultivation anymore. Activity expressing the ancient road, I don't fall into passivity. Everywhere trackless, conduct beyond sound and form:

the adepts in all places call this the supreme state. Gth of enlightenment () by Ch'an master Hsiang-yen Chih-hsien ( Kygen Chikan) (Rational Zen 119) One stroke and all is gone, No need of stratagem or cure; Each and every action manifests the ancient Way. My spirit is never downcast, I leave no tracks behind me, Enlightenment is beyond speech, beyond gesture; Those who are emancipated Call it the unsurpassed. (Two Zen Classics 40) One stroke has made me forget all my previous knowledge, No artificial discipline is at all needed; In every movement I uphold the ancient way, And never fall into the rut of mere quietism; Wherever I walk no traces are left, And my senses are not fettered by rules of conduct; Everywhere those who have attained to the truth, All declare this to be of highest order. (Essays in Zen Buddhism First Series 243)

Yen-shou's Poem of Enlightenment Something dropped! It is no other thing; Right and left, there is nothing earthy: Rivers and mountains and the great earth, In them all revealed is the Body of the Dharmarja. Ch'an master Yung-ming Yen-shou ( Ymy Enju) (904-975) (Essays in Zen Buddhism First Series 250)

Chang Chiu-ch'en's Poem of Enlightenment In a moonlit night on a spring day, The croak of a frog Pierces through the whole cosmos and turns it into a single family! Chang Chiu-ch'en () (The Golden Age of Zen 284, 324 n.88)

No-Mind

From where did the Buddha come, To where did the Buddha go? If the Buddha is still around, Where can be the Buddha found?

Shun-tsung

From non-activity the Buddha came To non-activity the Buddha disappeared. Cosmic reality his spiritual body is, In no-mind the Buddha will appear. Ju-man Great mountains, rivers and seas, Heaven and earth, sun and moon. Who says there is no birth and death? For even these meet their end soon. Shun-tsung Birth is also before birth, Death is also before death. If you have attained no-mind, Naturally there will be nothing left. (The Complete Book of Zen 242-3)

Ju-man

Gathas of Shen-hsiu and Hui-neng This body is the Bodhi-tree, The soul is like a mirror bright; Take heed to keep it always clean, And let no dust collect on it.

Shen-hsiu

The Bodhi is not like the tree, The mirror bright is nowhere shining; As there is nothing from the first, Where can the dust itself collect? Hui-neng Gths of Shen-hsiu ( Jinsh) and Hui-neng ( En) The body is the tree of enlightenment. The mind is the stand of a bright mirror. Wipe it constantly and with ever-watchful diligence, To keep it uncontaminated by the worldly dust. (The Golden Age of Zen 60, 300 n.4) Enlightenment is no tree, Nor is the Bright Mirror a stand. Since it is not a thing at all, Where could it be contaminated by dust? (The Golden Age of Zen 60, 300 n.5)

Shen-hsiu

Hui-neng

The body is the Bodhi tree, Bodhi by nature is no tree, The mind is like a mirror. The mirror is inherently formless. Every now and then dust and polish it, There is originally nothing, And let no dust settle on it. On what, then, can the dust settle? (Two Zen Classics 160-1) The body is like unto the Bodhi-tree, And the mind to a mirror bright; Carefully we cleanse them hour by hour Lest dust should fall upon them. (The Spirit of Zen 37) The body is the tree of enlightenment, Enlightenment is basically not a tree, And the mind like a clear mirror stand; And the clear mirror not a stand. Time and again wipe it diligently, Fundamentally there is not a single thing Don't let it gather dust. Where can dust collect? (Transmission of Light 140-1) The body is the bodhi-tree, The mind is like the mirror bright. Clean it diligently every time, Do not ever let dust alight. (The Complete Book of Zen 81) The body is the tree of wisdom, the mind a bright mirror in its stand. At all times take care to keep it polished, thing never let the dust and grime collect! (Zen: Tradition and Transition 127) Wisdom never had a tree, the bright mirror lacks a stand. Fundamentally there is not a single where could the dust and grime collect? Bodhi is actually not a tree, The mind not a mirror bright. Buddha nature is always tranquil, Wherefore can dust alight? Neither is there Bodhi-tree, Nor yet a mirror bright; Since in reality all is void, Whereon can the dust fall?

Gathas of Wo-lun and Hui-neng I, Wo-luan, know a device Whereby to blot out all my thoughts: The objective world no more stirs the mind, And daily matures my Enlightenment! Wo-lun I, Hui-neng, know no device My thoughts are not suppressed: The objective world ever stirs the mind, And what is the use of maturing Enlightenment?

Hui-neng

From Hui-neng's T'an-ching (Essays in Zen Buddhism First Series 225) Wo-Lun possesses a special aptitude: He can cut off all thoughts. No situation can stir his mind. The Bodhi tree grows daily in him.

Wo-lun

Hui-neng has no special aptitude: He does not cut off any thoughts. His mind responds to all situations. In what way can the Bodhi tree grow? Hui-neng From Hui-neng's T'an-ching (The Golden Age of Zen 81, 302 n.33)

Emptiness Gnashing its Teeth Buddhas and patriarchs cut to pieces; The sword is ever kept sharpened. Where the wheel turns, The void gnashes its teeth. Death verse of Shh Mych (, titled Dait Kokushi, 1282-1337) (Manual of Zen Buddhism 148)

Bright Pearl There is a bright pearl within me, Buried for a long time under dust. Today, the dust is gone and the light radiates, Shining through all the mountains and rivers. Master Yueh of Ch'a-ling () (The Golden Age of Zen 248, 322 n.7)

I have one jewel shining bright, Long buried it was under worldly worries; This morning the dusty veil is off and restored is its lustre, Illuminating rivers and mountains and ten thousand things. (Essays in Zen Buddhism First Series 250) I have one jewel shining bright, Long buried it was underneath worldly worries; This morning the dusty veil is off, and restored its lustre, Illuminating the blue mountains in endless undulations. (Essays in Zen Buddhism Second Series 211)

Between Heaven and Earth The spring mountains covered with layers of most variegated colors, And the spring streams fancifully laden with the reflecting images. Standing by himself between heaven and earth, Facing infinitude of beings. Ch'an master Hseh-t'ou Ch'ung-hsien ( Secch Jken, 980-1052) (Zen and Japanese Culture 298)

The Essence One, seven, three, five. What you search for cannot be grasped. As the night deepens, the moon brightens over the ocean. The black dragon's jewel is found in every wave. Looking for the moon, it is here in this wave and the next. A verse that master Hsueh-t'ou Ch'ung-hsien wrote for a disciple One, seven, three, five. What you search for cannot be grasped. As the night deepens, the moon brightens over the ocean. The black dragon's jewel is found in every wave. Looking for the moon, it is here in this wave

and the next. (Translated by Yasuda Joshu Roshi and Anzan Hoshin Roshi, from Cooking Zen, Great Matter Publications. 1996)

Huai's Poem of Enlightenment One, two, three, four, five, six, seven Yes, many thousand feet high is the mountain peak, and lo, someone stands there on one leg; He has carried away the gem from the dragon's jaws, And Vimalakrti's secrets he holds in one word. I-huai of T'ien-i (Essays in Zen Buddhism Second Series 206)

Detached Be detached, be detached! Be thoroughly detached! What then? The pine is green, And white is the snow. Author unknown (The Essentials of Zen Buddhism 237) Monks sit peacefully among the trees, Ridding themselves of illusion with a calm mind. Quietly realizing enlightenment, They experience a joy that is beyond that of heaven. Laymen seek fame and profit, Or fine robes, seats, and bedding. Though the joy in getting them is only fleeting, They are untiring in their quest. Monks, however, beg for food in humble robes, Their daily actions being one with the Way. With their Wisdom-eye opened They realize the essence of the Law. Gathering all together to listen To the countless Buddhist teachings, They leave behind the world of illusion, Quietly enveloped in enlightenment's Wisdom. Bodhisattva Ngrjuna From Treasury of Eyes of True Teaching (Shb Genz ) of Dgen (Zen Master Dogen 69-70)

Light Itself Dwell! You are Light itself. Rely on yourself, Do not rely on others. The Dharma is the Light, Rely on the Dharma. Do not rely on anything other than Dharma. A Pali verse (Zen Word, Zen Calligraphy 31)

Poem on Bodhidharma Others are revolted, I am unmoved. Gripped by desires, I am unmoved. Hearing the wisdom of sages, I am unmoved. I move only in my own way. (Muscle/Tendon Changing and Marrow/Brain Washing Chi Kung 24)

Three Mysteries The three mystical doors and the three essential points Are in actuality hard to divide and distinguish. If you get the idea, you must forget the words: This is the simple way to approach the Tao. All phenomena are clearly comprehended in one sentence: At the feast of Double-Nine, the chrysanthemums bloom afresh. Ch'an master Fen-yang Shan-chao ( Funny Zensh, 947-1024) (The Golden Age of Zen 209-10, 317 n.45)

Dead Man's Zazen While living, one sits up and lies not, When dead, one lies and sits not; A set of ill-smelling skeleton! What is the use of toiling and moiling so? A gth by Hui-neng, T'an-ching (Essays in Zen Buddhism First Series 216)

When alive, one keeps sitting without lying down: When dead, one lies down without sitting up. In both cases, a set of stinking bones! What has it to do with the great lesson of life? (The Golden Age of Zen 82, 302 n.38) A living man who sits and does not lie down, A dead man who lies down and does not sit! After all these are just dirty skeletons. (The Way of Zen 111, 218 hh) The Essence The bamboo shadows are sweeping the stairs, Buy no dust is stirred: The moonlight penetrates deep in the bottom of the pool, But no trace is left in the water. Author unknown (Essays in Zen Buddhism First Series 352) Beyond the Gate The celestial radiance undimmed, The norm lasting for ever more; For him who entereth this gate, No reasoning, no learning. Ch'an master P'ing-t'ien P'u-an ( Heiden Fugan)

Quietitude Here rules an absolute quietness, all doings subside; Just a touch, and lo, a roaring thunder-clap! A noise that shakes the earth, and all silence; The skull is broken to pieces, and awakened I am from the dream! Tu-feng Chi-shan's stanza, from Chu-hung's Biographies of the Famous Zen Masters of Ming (Essays in Zen Buddhism Second Series 133 n.2)

One with It Long seeking it through others, I was far from reaching it. Now I go by myself; I meet it everywhere. It is just I myself, And I am not itself. Understanding this way, I can be as I am. Ch'an master Tung-shan Ling-chia ( Tsan Rykai, 807-869) (Two Zen Classics 267) Do not seek from another, Or you will be estranged from self. I now go on alone, Finding I meet It everywhere. It now is I, I now am not It. One should understand in this way To merge with suchness as is. (Transmission of Light 38) Don't seek from others, Or you'll be estranged from yourself. I now go on alone Everywhere I encounter It. It now is me, I now am not It. One must understand in this way To merge with being as is. (Transmission of Light 167)

A Death Verse I rebuke the wind and revile the rain, I do not know the Buddhas and patriarchs; My single activity turns in the twinkling of an eye, Swifter even than a lightning flash. Death verse of Zen master Nanpo Jmy (titled Dai Kokushi , 1235-1308) (Zen Buddhism: A History, Japan, 40) Old Pan Kou Old Pan Kou knows nothing about time and nothing about space has well. His life is self-natured and self-sufficient. He needs to ask for nothing outside of his own being. The genesis of the world is the exercise of his mind. When his mind starts to think, the world starts to move. The world has never been made by any special desing. Neither has an end ever been put to it. The Song of Pan Kou Contentment As the pines grew old and the clouds idled He found boundless contentment within himself. Babo, preface to The Record of Lin-chi (Lin-chi Lu /Rinzairoku) (Zen Word, Zen Calligraphy 127)

Mind and Senses The mind is an organ of thought and objects are set against it: The two are like marks on the surface of the mirror; When the dirt is removed, the light begins to shine. Both mind and objects being forgotten, Ultimate Nature reveals itself true. Yung-chia Hsan-cheh ( Yka Genkaku) (The Essentials of Zen Buddhism 236) Free Spirit Every day I'm either in a wine shop or a brothel, A free-spirited monk who is hard to fathom; My surplice always appears torn and dirty, But when I patch it, it smells so sweet. Ch'an master Tao-chi (Lust for Enlightenment 92) Three Teachings into One With a Taoist cap, a Buddhist cassock, and a pair of Confucian shoes, I have harmonized three houses into one big family! Bodhisattva Shan-hui (), better known as Fu Ta-shih () (497-?) (The Golden Age of Zen 254, 322 n.23)

Autumn Wind On leaf and grass Awaiting the morning sun The dew melts quickly away. Haste thee not, O autumn wind Who dost now stir in the fields! A verse (on'uta ) composed by Dgen Kigen ( 1200-1253) shortly before his death (Zen Buddhism: A History, Japan, 72) Forgetting the Self To learn Buddha Dharma is to learn the self. To learn the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to become one with endless dimension, Universal Mind. Dgen (Zen Word, Zen Calligraphy 23) ("Endless dimension, Universal Mind" is another name for Amitbha Buddha) This is Our World We eat, excrete, sleep, and get up; This is our world. All we have to do after that Is to die. Dka (way song/poem) by Zen master Ikky Sojun () (The Way of Zen 162)

Selflessness Misery only doth exist, none miserable, No doer is there; naught save the deed is found. Nirvna is, but not the man who seeks it. The Path exists, but not the traveller on it. Visuddhimagga (chapt. 16) Trs. H.C. Warren (Essays in Zen Buddhism Second Series 311)

Chasing after the world Brings chaos. Allowing it all to come to me Brings peace.

The greatest gift to others is to freely relinquish yourself. (Bodidharma) Summer grasses: all that remains of great soldiers imperial dreams (Basho) Confused by thoughts, we experience duality in life. Unencumbered by ideas, the enlightened see the one Reality. (Hui Neng) It is present everywhere. There is nothing it does not contain. However only those who have previously planted wisdom seeds will be able to continuously see it. (Dogen) I have not heard of a single Buddha, past or present, who has been enlightened by sacred prayers and scriptures. (Bassui) The wind has settled, the blossoms have fallen; Birds sing, the mountains grow dark This is the wondrous power of Buddhism. (Ryokan)