“Another year about to end
In my empty mountain abode;
Rivers and clouds,
Their trails indistinct;
Pines and cedars,
Their natures the same.
I arise from my nap
To find the taro roots done;
As the incense fades out,
I finish a scripture.
Who knows that real pleasure
Lies within stillness and silence? ”
- Wen-siang (1210-1280)
Never under any
Circumstances say that
Meditation and wisdom
Are different;
They are one unity,
Not two things.
- Hui-neng (638-713)
I like bamboo as the symbol
of constancy and simplicity.
I built my house deep within a grove.
Strike the bamboo
with a piece of brick.
Perhaps the sound could
awaken a passing Zen monk
White clouds flying
Mists melt black mountains
And this wandering mystic’s
Wandered astray.
- Yun-K’an Tzu