MOUNTAINS BECOME RIVERS

Collected Reader

Collected Reader

Welcome to this is free collection of notes and commonplace research, it is not fully edited, but may give some more insights into the body of work. Thank you for reading, B

Preface – Drink Tea, Study Buddhism.

To the readers, it is my tiny hope you take away a few things from this collection.

1. Sit quietly every day. Zazen is a form of seated meditation. All this really means is to sit quietly for period of time; long or short. there is no goal other than to sit calmly with yourself or even with a group of other people. Sit quietly, sit often. Practice being calm, being with yourself. Practice just being. It will challenge you and it will change you.

2. Poetry. Write it. Read it. Share it. It is a form of stillness and contemplation, a mental form of painting and capturing moments. Good or bad. Short or long. Don’t let moments slip away too easily from your fingers. They only need to hold meaning for you. Poems don’t need to be big or complex, they just need to communicate to you personally, in any way you deem suitable.

3. Drink Tea. Slowly prepare it. Slowly pour it. Slowly appreciate it. Alone or with company. Work towards helping the conservation of tea leaves for future generations.

4. Study Buddhist philosophy. Soto Zen is a branch of Buddhism, at its root is the simplest of actions, sitting. This gives a focus on understanding the self, compassion, and wisdom, so we can find our place in the universe and take that good knowledge into the world.

collected:

poets & poems

koans & fables

other reflections

books to read citations and resources

about the font

poets & poems

Li Bai (701–762CE)

Known as the “Immortal Poet” or “The Banished Immortal,” Li Bai (701–762) is often considered the greatest Chinese poet of all time. His was the epitome of the classic Tang Dynasty poetry (tang shi). Li Bai was a wandering spirit, and his travels across China led him into the company of Daoists, literary men, and high officials, who often admired him greatly.

I Listen to Jun, a Monk from Shu, Play His Lute

The Shu monk carries a green silk lute west down Emei Mountain and each sweep of his hand is the song of a thousand pines in the valley.

Flowing water cleans my wanderer's heart and the sound lingers like a frosty bell till I forget the mountain soaking in green dusk autumn clouds darkly folding in.

Drinking Alone by Moonlight

A pot of wine in the flower garden, but no friends drink with me.

So I raise tiny cup to the bright moon and to my shadow, which makes us three, but the moon won't drink and my shadow just creeps about my heels. Yet in your company, moon and shadow, I have a wild time till spring dies out. I sing and the moon shudders. My shadow staggers when I dance. We have our fun while I can stand then drift apart when I fall asleep. Let's share this empty journey often and meet again in the milky river of stars.

EMPEROR JOMEI (629-641CE) – symbols of prosperity During the the Asuka period in Japan 583-710 CE, Emperor Jomei(629-641CE) wrote very early history poems that reflected his nation. Jomei’s poem, Climbing Mount Kagu, demonstrates a land- viewing ritual (kunimi) poem to not only discuss mountains and the beauty of nature but his prosperous country:

In the land of Yamato The mountains cluster; But the best of all mountains is Kagu - Kagu dropped from the skies. - I climbed, and stood, and viewed my lands. Over the broad earth Smoke-mist hovers. Over the broad earth Seagulls hover. / Beautiful, my country, My Yamato, Island of the dragonfly.” Thwaite8

What Jomei presents us with is a deep love in verse. We can see human traces in the landscape as imagery of progress / smoke-mist/ we can see the prosperous wilds, as seagulls must be fishing in the plentiful ocean.

Bai Juyi (772- 846CE)

He was a renowned poet during the period immediately following the peak period of the Tang Dynasty. The less educated people at that time could easily understand the language used in his poems, with their explicit themes. The poems flowed smoothly, and his poetic style was so unique that it became a literary form commonly known as Yuan-Bai-Ti, or Fundamentally Plain Form.

Night Rain

Chirp of an early cricket. Silence. The lamp dies then flares up again. Night must be raining outside the window. plink, plunk on the banana leaves

After Getting Drunk, Becoming Sober in the Night

Our party scattered at yellow dusk and I came home to bed; I woke at midnight and went for a walk, leaning heavily on a friend.

As I lay on my pillow my vinous. complexion, soothed by sleep, grew sober: In front of the tower the ocean moon, accompanying the tide, had nsen. The swallows, about to return to the beams, went back to roost again; The candle at my window, just going out, suddenly revived its light. All the time till dawn came, still my thoughts were muddled; And in my ears something sounded like the music of flutes and strings.

Translated by Arthur Waley

Xue Tao (768-831)

Like Bai Juyi, the poet Xue Tao was born in China during the T’ang Dynasty. She was a little older than Bai Juyi; she was born in 768 AD, during An Lushan‘s rebellion. Xue Tao was a well-respected Tang dynasty poet. She was born either in the Tang capital, Changan, or in Chengdu in present day Sichuan province, where her father, a minor government official, was posted. A story about her childhood, perhaps apocryphal, suggests that she was able to write complex poems by the age of seven or eight. She may have gained a literary education from her father, but he died before she reached marriageable age. More than one hundred of her poems survive.

Moon

Its spirit leans like a thin hook or opens round like a Han-loom fan, slender shadow whose nature is to be full seen everywhere in the human· world.

The glint of moonlight is dim while the shape of the hook is small.

A fan that pursues the Han loom is round. The slender image is going to be roundness of its nature again. How many places on earth can such a thing be seen?

Seeing a Friend Off

In water lands, night frost on reeds, a cold moon the color of .the mountains. Who says our thousand-mile separation starts tonight? My dream can travel to the farthest border pass.

Ha Jin (1956- )

Ha Jin was born in Liaoning. The son of an army officer, he entered the People's Army early in the Cultural Revolution at a time when the schools were closed. He worked as a telegraph operator for some time, then went back to school, earning a BA and an MA. After coming to the United States and taking his Ph.D. in English and American literature at Brandeis University, he taught at Emory University before becoming a professor of English at Boston University. He has published three books of poetry-Between Silences, Facing Shadows, and Wreckagethree short story collections, and four novels, including Waiting, for which he won the National Book Award and the PEN Faulkner Award. Like so many of his contemporaries, Ha Jin: elected to remain in exile from China. after the Tiananmen Square massacre: "After June 1989 I realized that I could not return to China in the near future if I wanted to be a writer who has the freedom to write." He is in the unusual position of being a Chinese poet and fiction writer who works in English and lives in America. As he writes in a letter: "Without question, I am a Chinese writer, not an AmericanChinese poet, though I

write in English. If this sounds absurd, the absurdity is historical rather than personal ... since I can hardly publish anything in Chinese now." The craft of a novelist can be seen in Ha Jin's poems: he often writes in dramatic monologue, recording history from the inside, from the point of view of its imperfect and often unsympathetic protagonists.

Our Words

Although you were the strongest boy in our neighborhood you could beat none of us. Whenever we fought with you we would shout: "Your father was a landlord. You are a bastard of a blackhearted landlord." Or we would mimic your father's voice when he was publicly denounced: "My name is Li Wanbao. I was a landlord; before liberation I exploited my hired hands and the poor peasants. I am guilty and my guilt deserves ten thousand deaths." Then you would withdraw your hard fists and flee home cursing and weeping like a wild cat. You fought only with your hands, but we fought with both our hands and our words. We fought and fought and fought

until we overgrew you and overgrew ourselves, until you and we were sent to the same village working together in the fields sharing tobacco and sorghum spirits at night and cursing the brigade leader behind his back when he said: "You, petty bourgeoisie, must take your 'reeducation' seriously!" Until none of us had words.

They Come

Sometimes when you're walking in the street, returning home or leaving to see a friend, they come. They emerge from behind pillars and trees, a~ching you like a pack of hounds besieging a deer. You know there's no use to hide or flee, so you stop and light a cigarette, waiting for them. Sometimes when you're eating in a restaurant, your soup served and your dish not ready yet, they come. A steady hand falls upon your shoulder.

You are familiar with such a hand and don't need to turn around to meet the face. The scared diners are sneaking out,

the waitress's chin is trembling when she speaks, but you sit there, waiting patiently for the bill. After settling it, you'll walk out with th-e-m. Sometimes when you open your office, 1 planning to finish an article in three hours, or read a review, but first make some tea, They spring out from behind the door, like ghosts welcoming a child to their lair. You don't want to enter, seeing cups ·and paper on the floor. You're figuring how to send a message home.

Sometimes when you have worked day and night, dog tired, desiring to have a good sleep -after taking a shower and an extra nightcap, they come. They change the color of your dream: ~ you moan for the wounds on your body, \ you weep for the fates of others, only no~ dare you fight back with your hands. But a "bang" or an "ouch" brings you back to silence and sleeplessness again. See, they come.

Jim Morrison (1943–1971)

Born in Melbourne, Florida, Jim Morrison was an American rock singer and songwriter. Known for his drinking, drug use and outrageous stage behavior, in 1971 Morrison left the Doors to write poetry and moved to Paris, where he presumably died of heart failure at the age of 27.

The Fear

Eternal consciousness in the Void (makes trial & jail seem almost friendly) a Kiss in the Storm

(Madman at the wheel gun at the neck space populous & arching coolly)

A barn a cabin attic

Your own face stationary

in the mirrored window fear of restroom’s Tragic cold neon

I’m freezing animals dead white wings of rabbits grey velvet deer

The Canyon

The car a craft in wretched SPACE

Sudden movements

& your past to warm you in Spiritless Night

The Lonely HWY

Cold hiker

Afraid of Wolves & his own Shadow ~~~

The Wolf, who lives under the rock has invited me to drink of his cool Water. Not to splash or bathe But leave the sun & know the dead desert night & the cold men who play there. ~~~ a ha Come on, now luring the Traveller Mighty Voyager Curious, into its dark womb The graves grinning Indians of night The eyes of night Westward luring into the brothel, into the blood bath

into the Dream The dark Dream of conquest & Voyage into night, Westward into Night

Tape Noon

Tell them you came & saw & looked into my eye, & saw the shadow of the guard receeding Thoughts in time & out of season The hitchhiker stood by the side of the road & levelled his thumb in the calm calculus of reason

(a car passes)

Why does my mind circle around you Why do planets wonder what it Would be like to be you

All your soft wild promises were words Birds, endlessly in flight

Your dog is still lost in the frozen woods or he would run to you How can he run to you Lunging w/blooded sickness on the snow He’s still sniffing gates & searching

Strangers for your smell which he remembers very well

Is there a moon in your window Is madness laughing Can you still run down beach rocks below w/out him?

Winter Photography our love’s in jeopardy Winter Photography our loves in jeopardy Sit up all night, talking smoking Count the dead & wait for morning (Will warm names & faces come again Does the silver forest end?)

Jane Hirshfield (1953-)

Hirshfield is an American poet, essayist, and translator. She was born in February 24, 1953. She was born on East 20th Street, New York City. She received her bachelor's degree from Princeton University in the school's first graduating class to include women.

Hirshfield's seven books of poetry have each received numerous awards. Her fifth book, Given Sugar, Given Salt, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and her sixth collection, After, was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize (UK) and named a 'best book of 2006' by The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, and the Financial Times. She has written a book of essays, Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry. The Ink Dark Moon, her co-translation of the work of the two foremost women poets of classical-era Japan, was instrumental in bringing tanka (a 31-syllable Japanese poetic form) to the attention of American poets. She has edited four books collecting the work of poets from the past and is noted as being "part of a wave of important scholarship then seeking to recover the forgotten history of women writers." She received a Guggenheim

Fellowship in 1985, the Academy of American Poets’ 2004 Fellowship for Distinguished Achievement, a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in 2005, and the Donald Hall- Jane Kenyon Award in American Poetry in 2012.

A Cedary Fragrance

Even now, decades after, I wash my face with cold water— not for discipline, nor memory, nor the icy, awakening slap, but to practice choosing to make the unwanted wanted.

Fado

A man reaches close and lifts a quarter from inside a girl’s ear, from her hands takes a dove she didn’t know was there. Which amazes more, you may wonder:

the quarter’s serrated murmur against the thumb or the dove’s knuckled silence? That he found them, or that she never had, or that in Portugal, this same half-stopped moment, it’s almost dawn, and a woman in a wheelchair is singing a fado that puts every life in the room on one pan of a scale, itself on the other, and the copper bowls balance.

Harness

Little soul, you and I will become the memory of a memory of a memory.

A horse released of the traces forgets the weight of the wagon.

For What Binds Us

There are names for what binds us:

strong forces, weak forces. Look around, you can see them: the skin that forms in a half-empty cup, nails rusting into the places they join, joints dovetailed on their own weight. The way things stay so solidly wherever they've been set down— and gravity, scientists say, is weak.

And see how the flesh grows back across a wound, with a great vehemence, more strong than the simple, untested surface before. There's a name for it on horses, when it comes back darker and raised: proud flesh, as all flesh, is proud of its wounds, wears them as honors given out after battle, small triumphs pinned to the chest—

And when two people have loved each other see how it is like a scar between their bodies, stronger, darker, and proud; how the black cord makes of them a single fabric that nothing can tear or mend.

Gordon Downie (1964–2017) Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer and activist. He was the lead singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, which he fronted from their formation in 1984 until his death in 2017.

Starpainters

The myth is neither here nor there, from the air. Just blue lake stains on green and purified, parcelled squares: a crazy quilt of spearmint, of mustard and honey tones; a scuffed-up kitchen floor of tiles on top of bones with a big trap door. Towns down diagonal lines disappear and drop out of sight into the night beyond the national night, and underneath the grit and glare into unfettered nothingness and thin air, as herds of clouds lazily graze on thermal sighs of delight. The Starpainters are taking over now, their scaffolding is in its place.

Your anaesthesiologist tonight is washing up and on her way.

Coke Machine Glow

Here we are on the highway. Here we are on the road. Here we are in the parking lot's pink Coke machine glow. Here we are in the bedroom. Here we are in the bed. Here we are beside each other after everything we've said.

Copyright © 2001 by Gordon Downie PublisherVintage Canada

koans & fables

Hyakujō’s Wild Fox Koan from The Gateless Gate (1228CE) by Mumon, translated by Nyogen Senzaki and Paul Reps, A Collection of Zen Koans

Hyakujō Ekai was a Dharma heir of Master Baso. Whenever people came to hear Hyakujō give a public Dharma talk, there was an old man who always came into the Dharma Hall immediately following those in the monastic assembly. He always listened to the Dharma talk and then, when the monks would leave the hall, he would leave at the same time. Then one day, he lingered behind. Thereupon, the Master asked him, “You who are standing here, who are you?” The old man replied, “To speak truly, I am a non-human being. Long ago during the eon of Kashō Buddha1, I dwelt upon this mountain as Abbot. Then, one day, a trainee asked me, ‘Is even the one who does the Great Practice still subject to cause and effect?’ I replied that such a one is no longer subject to cause and effect. After that, as a consequence, I

was reduced to being reborn as a wild fox2 for five hundred lives. “I now beseech you, O Venerable Monk, say something that will turn me around, for I long to rid myself of this wild fox’s attitude of mind.” Thereupon, he asked the Master, “Is even someone who does the Great Practice subject to cause and effect?” The Master replied, “Such a one is not blind to causality.” Upon hearing these words, the old man had a great awakening. Prostrating himself before the Master, he said, “Since I have already shed the outer trappings of a wild fox, I have taken to dwelling on the far side of this mountain. Dare I ask the Venerable Abbot to perform for me a monk’s funeral service?” The Master had the senior monk who supervises the Meditation Hall strike the wooden gong to signal the monks to assemble so that he might tell them that, after their meal, there would be a funeral service for a deceased monk. The whole assembly was at ease with this, though they wondered about it, since there was no sick person in the temple infirmary. After the meal, the Master simply led the assembly up to the base of a rock on the other side of the mountain, where they saw him use his traveling staff to point out the corpse of a wild fox.

They cremated the remains in accordance with the appropriate procedure. At nightfall, the Master went to the Dharma Hall where he gave the monks a talk on the preceding events. Hyakujō’s Dharma heir Ōbaku then asked him, “In the past, the man said the wrong thing to turn his disciple around and, as a consequence, was reduced to being a wild fox for five hundred lives. Suppose he had not made this mistake, what would have become of him?” The Master said, “Come up close and I will tell you.” Thereupon, Ōbaku went on up and gave the Master a slap. The Master clapped his hands and laughed, saying, “I’ve always thought that the beards of foreigners were red, and here is a red-bearded foreigner.”3 ______1. Among the Seven Buddhas, the Kasho Buddha whose eon preceded that of Shakyamuni Buddha (Siddhathra/Gautama ‘the Buddha’) supposedly two million years ago; an unlikely scenario. 2. Foxes, in Chinese mythology, are considered trickster spirits. 3. In other translations, this also states well known master Bodhidharma’s beard is red, and the person with a red-beard is Bodhidharma, just meaning that they are one and the same (the clap/slap as well as the bearded person) src: https://www.thezensite.com/ZenTeachings/Dogen_Teachings/Shobogenzo/073daishugy o.pdf

Tea Parables 101 Zen Stones from Zen Flesh, Zen Bones translated by Nyogen Senzaki and Paul Reps

One Hundred and One Zen Stones was first published in 1919. These stories recount actual experiences of Chinese and Japanese Zen teachers over a period of more than five centuries.

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s there are few.” ~ Shunryu Suzuki-roshi

1. “A Cup of Tea” Parable

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868– 1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!”

“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

55. The Tea-Master and the Assassin

Taiko, a warrior who lived in Japan before the Tokugawa era, studied Cha-no-yu, tea etiquette, with Sen no Rikyu, a teacher of that aesthetical expression of calmness and contentment. Taiko's attendant warrior Kato interpreted his superior's enthusiasm for tea etiquette as negligence of state affairs, he decided to kill Sen no Rikyu. He pretended to make a social call upon the tea-master and was invited to drink tea. The master, who was well skilled in his art, saw at a glance the warrior's intention, so he invited Kato to leave his sword outside before entering the room for the ceremony, explaining that Cha-no-yu represents peacefulness itself. Kato wouldn’t listen to this 'I am a warrior,' he said. I always have my sword with me. Cha-no-yu or no Cha-no-yu. I have my sword.' 'Very well. Bring your sword in and have some tea,' consented Sen no Rikyu.

The kettle was boiling on the charcoal fire. Suddenly Sen no Rikyu tipped it over. Hissing steam arose filling the room with smoke and ashes. The startled warrior ran outside. The tea-master apologized. ‘It is my mistake. Come back in and have some tea. I have your sword here covered with ashes and will clean it and give it to you.’ In this predicament the warrior realized he could not very well outwit and kill the tea- master, so he gave up the idea.

1. Joshu’s Dog

A monk asked Joshu, a Chinese Zen master: “Has a dog Buddha- nature or not?” Joshu answered: “Mu.”

Mumon’s comment To realize Zen one has to pass through the barrier of the patriarchs. Enlightenment always comes after the road of thinking is blocked. If you do not pass the barrier of the patriarchs or if your thinking road is not blocked, whatever you think, whatever you do, is like a tangling ghost. You

may ask: What is a barrier of a patriarch? This one word, Mu, is it.

This is the barrier of Zen. If you pass through it you will see Joshu face to face. Then you can work hand in hand with the whole line of patriarchs. Is this not a pleasant thing to do? If you want to pass this barrier, you must work through every bone in your body, through every pore of your skin, filled with this question: What is Mu? and carry it day and night. Do not believe it is the common negative symbol meaning nothing. It is not nothingness, the opposite of existence. If you really want to pass this barrier, you should feel like drinking a hot iron ball that you can neither swallow nor spit out.

Then your previous lesser knowledge disappears. As a fruit ripening in season, your subjectivity and objectivity naturally become one. It is like a dumb man who has had a dream. He knows about it but he cannot tell it.

When he enters this condition his ego-shell is crushed and he can shake the heaven and move the earth. He is like a great warrior with a sharp sword. If a Buddha stands in his way, he will cut him down; if a patriarch offers him any obstacle, he will kill him; and he will be free in

his way of birth and death. He can enter any world as if it were his own playground. I will tell you how to do this with this koan:

Just concentrate your whole energy into this Mu, and do not allow any discontinuation. When you enter this Mu and there is no discontinuation, your attainment will be as a candle burning and illuminating the whole universe.

Mumon’s Verse Has a dog Buddha-nature? This is the most serious question of all. If you say yes or no, You lose your own Buddha-nature.

Translated by Nyogen Senzaki and Paul Reps

Mountains and Waters Sutra Excerpts from from Sansui-Kyo chapter of Shobogenzo by Eihei Dōgen Zenji (1200-1253CE)

“Mountains and waters are the expression of old Buddhas.”

In this book, Master Dōgen equates mountains and waters with the Buddha's body and speech. The text was written in the fall of 1240. Gudō Nishijima, a modern Zen priest, sums up the essay as follows: "Buddhism is basically a religion of belief in the universe, and nature is the universe showing its real form. So to look at nature is to look at the Buddhist truth itself. For this reason, Master Dōgen believed that nature is just Buddhist sutras."

1 Mountains and waters right now are the expression of old Buddhas. Each, abiding in its phenomenal expression, realizes completeness. Because mountains and waters have been active since before the Empty Eon, they are alive at

this moment. Because they have been the self since before form arose they are emancipation realization.

2 Because mountains are high and broad, the way of riding the clouds is always reached in the mountains; the inconceivable power of soaring in the wind comes freely from the mountains.

11 Water is neither strong nor weak, neither wet nor dry, neither moving no still, neither cold nor hot, neither existent nor non-existent, neither deluded nor enlightened. When water solidifies, it is harder than a diamond. Who can crack it? When water melts, it is gentler than milk. Who can destroy it? Do not doubt that these are the characteristics water manifests. You should reflect on the moment when you see the water of the ten directions as the water of the ten directions. This is not just studying the moment when human and heavenly beings see water; this is studying the moment when water sees water. This is a complete understanding. You should go forward and backward and leap beyond the vital path where other fathoms other.

13 Buddha said, "All things are ultimately liberated. There is nowhere that they abide. You should know that even though all things are liberated and not tied to anything, they abide in their own phenomenal expression. However, when most human beings see water, they only see that it flows unceasingly. This is a limited human view; there are actually many kinds of flowing. Water flows on the earth, in the sky, upward, and downward. It can flow around a single curve or into bottomless abysses. When it rises it becomes clouds. When it descends it forms abysses.

22 There are mountains hidden in treasures. There are mountains hidden in swamps. There are mountains hidden in the sky. There are mountains hidden in mountains. There are mountains hidden in hiddenness. This is complete understanding. An ancient Buddha said, "Mountains are mountains, waters are waters." These words do not mean mountains are mountains; they mean mountains are mountains. Therefore, investigate mountains thoroughly. When you investigate mountains thoroughly, this is the work of the mountains. Such mountains and waters of themselves become wise persons and sages.

Kuge - Flowers of Space Excerpts from from Kuge chapter of Shobogenzo by Eihei Dōgen Zenji (1200-1253CE)

Sakyamuni Buddha says, "It is like a person with clouded eyes seeing flowers in empty air. When the disease of cloudy eyes is cured, the flowers in empty air vanish” 'flowers in space' that discusses Cause and Effect.. Kuge, “flowers in space,” is the title of the 43rd Chapter in Shobogenzo, and in the Chapter, Master Dogen explains that even though Buddhism insists that both intellectual consideration and concrete sensuous perception are not real, but at the same time Master Dogen insists that both the intellectual consideration as thesis, and the concrete sensuous perception as antithesis, are useful and necessary, because of utilizing those two fundamental criteria, we can understand reality on the basis of dialectic thinking utilizing the philosophy of act as the synthesis. Here kūge, “flowers in space,” represents abstract images as opposed to reality. (In

Chapter Forty-two [Vol. III], Kūge, flowers in space and real flowers are identified.)

This discussion of the cause and effect of Time is felt as the burning lotus, it only applies when it is blooming / on fire... "For example, the time and place of the opening and blooming of the blue lotus are in the midst of fire and at the time of flames… / Know that in a single spark are hundreds of thousands of blue lotuses, blooming in the sky, blooming on the earth, blooming in the past, blooming in the present. Experiencing the actual time and place of this fire is the experience of the blue lotus. Do not drift by this time and place of the blue lotus flower." So in a bad summary from myself, When we seen that our distractions (flowers of the mind - cause) are illusions, they disappear to time and space (effect).

Great Master Guangzhou said,

"How wonderful! The Buddhas throughout the ten directions are originally just the flowers in our eyes. And if we want to know about these flowers in our eyes they are originally the

Buddhas throughout the ten directions. If we want to know the Buddhas of the ten directions, they are not flowers in our eyes. If we want to know the flowers in our eyes, they are not the Buddhas of the ten directions. If you can understand this, the Buddhas of the ten directions are to blame. If you don't understand, those with only hear-say knowledge do a little dance, and those who make up their own enlightenment put on make-up."

Genjokoan Excerpts from from Genjokon chapter of Shobogenzo by Eihei Dōgen Zenji (1200-1253CE)

GENJOKOAN

This is a closer quote to what I have been looking for, as Gudo Wafu Nishjima writes a reflection on Eihei Dōgen's Shobogenzo : Genjokoan opening chapter.. "Firewood becomes ash; it can never go back to being firewood. Nevertheless, we should not take the view that ash is its future and firewood is its past. We should recognize that firewood occupies its place in the Universe as firewood, and it has its past moment and its future moment. And although we can say that it has its past and its future, the past moment and the future moment are cut off. Ash exists in its place in the Universe as ash, and it has its past moment and its future moment. Just as firewood can never again be firewood after becoming ash, human beings cannot live again after their death.

So it is a rule in Buddhism not to say that life turns into death. This is why we speak of “no appearance.” And it is Buddhist teaching as established in the preaching of Gautama Buddha that death does not turn into life. This is why we speak of “no disappearance.” Life is an instantaneous situation, and death is also an instantaneous situation. It is the same, for example, with winter and spring. We do not think that winter becomes spring, and we do not say that spring becomes summer."

fin.

other reflections

Trees (quote- standing people - Shamanic Spirit) We must keep in mind that nature is alive, it is not a permanent fixture and requires our care and consideration. Trees /in some cultures/ are called the Standing People, and in Kenneth Meadows book, Shamanic Spirt, he reminds us that “although trees are alive and aware of their own existence just as surely as we are” though in a differently-organized way - they are immobile and stay rooted where they are.” The Standing People Native Americans call trees 'the Standing People', for although trees are alive and aware of their own existence just as surely as we are ;.... though in a differently-organized way - they are immobile and stay rooted where they are. A tree is nurtured by the Earth, who is its 'mother', and energized by the Sun - the 'father' to whom it lifts its branches and leaves in recognition. So a tree is a 'link' between Heaven and Earth as well as a 'guardian' of our Earth environment, purifying the atmosphere with the oxygen it breathes out and absorbing the carbon dioxide we exhale. Trees are sensitive to their

surroundings and have much wisdom to impart - if we are humble enough to accept teaching from them.

Although it is easy to dismiss this simply as metaphor or allegory – it has dual purpose – trees are living beings and although in stillness they live in constant motion – growth and swaying of the wind – tress are timeless but are present in the now they are of and within our time yet own a history all of their own, ancient and eternal. Being and non-being unlike tress are timeless**

Hyukujo’s Fox, revisted as reflection paraphrased by BRYAN

For five hundred lifetimes, an old man lived on a mountain as a wild fox for giving the wrong answer to a zen riddle. Although this is a myth within the koan, the piece talks about the results of Cause and Effect. The Old man pleads, “O Venerable Monk, say something that will turn me around, for I long to rid myself of this wild fox’s attitude of mind.” (nearman284) A Zen monk, Hyakujō Ekai, at the temple on the same mountain breaks the curse by teaching the old man the

truth about causality: that we can never be free from the effects that we cause. In Japanese and Chinese folktales, foxes are known as tricksters and liars, and also can change themselves into other forms. Often foxes come up in Zen writing as a warning. ((foxes are demons or tricksters in Chinese folk lore. nearman93) : BryanMc footnotes and summary of Hyukujo's Fox

Often koans use contradictory statements to explain themselves and the end of the tale, someone gains enlightenment. This process xxxx (koans) storytelling is how we learn. This makes narratives extremely important, as stories communicate moments and their meanings. Koans are stories or rather case studies given to help monks learn and gain insight into Buddha nature.

(foxes) In China, fox spirits are believed to have the ability to transform themselves into manifestations of other beings. One example of this is contained in the kōan story of “Hyakujō’s Fox”, which Dōgen will explore later in his Discourse 73: On the Great Practice (Daishugyō). NearmanTranslation93 Foxes are also foxes are also demons or tricksters in chinese folk lore.

Cause and Effect – Emotions and thoughts are like a boiling pot with the lid on, they overflow into everything we do. Zen is not a magical avoidance of having thoughts, it is simply like having the lid off. When you sit you will begin to see that you are the one causing the pot to boil. It's not for us to try to stop heating the water, its to let our thoughts process, sit with them, acknowledge them, and let them go back into steam.

Buddhism seeks the truth, all truths. Enlightenment is not a magical process, it takes place through seeking the truth – the truth is the here and now, there is no other place and no other time that is real. It is a philosophy of teachings, practices, and contradictions the universe spits at us, however that the truth of reality.. the universe is full of contradiction. And we need to sit and accept these paradoxical presentations to our mind. ( KNOW THY SELF )

What Poetic Devices will we encounter?

Allegory, lyricism, and typography are the primary devices that are used in Mountains Become Rivers. As much as I enjoy connecting fine art and poetic imagery I use in my writing, I wanted to take a look at a few of the

components that influence my style. Allegories, typographic placement, use of punctuation, are all constructs I’ve included, along with a sense of song writing to keep a certain feel or rhythm to each piece. it is meant to give rhythm or lyricism to each line and set of words. So I am hoping it gives them a life of their own or at least a more clear communication on how the words flow together. Western poets such as Virgil, Dante Alighieri, John Milton, and more recent poets, Pablo Neruda, Dylan Thomas, e e cummings, and many others have used language to connect their experiences and the narratives they wanted to share; within all their work we can see the use of many literary devices. So why have I selected certain devices for my style? I use a lot of alliteration and onomatopoeia in free verse. Other tools like paradoxes and metonymy/ synecdoche find their way into my writing. I’ve done my best in all my work to remove identity, and so when my/i/ours/theirs/etc appear, they are overtly intentional for personal purpose. To narrow it down I wanted to focus on the major devices that were of importance and I wanted to touch on their sources or inspirations. Allegory, is a major component as symbols in Buddhism are xxxxx

What is the purpose of Allegory? Allegory

Scholar and translator Dorothy L. Sayers states in her work with Dante’s Divine Comedy that “Allegory is the interpretation of experience by means of images. In its simplest form it is a kind of extended metaphor.” sayers17? Allegories are a symbolic representation, meant to reveal a hidden meaning, and this allows the images presented to have greater purpose. Much like Li Bai and Dashan travelling together through China, in the Divine Comedy we encounter a personified version of Dante himself, on an allegorical journey with his guide Virgil (a symbol of reason) the ancient Greek poet. The Comedy is a complex allegory, worth reading and studying. Certainly, within the Comedy we see poetry being used to create the landscape of other planes (hell, purgatory, and heaven), yet nature is still shown throughout his work. Allegory or no, there remains a deep connection to nature from the onset even in his work. The Divine Comedy opens with Dante in a dark forest attempting to climb a mountain. Although these are all allegories related to sin and ascension (clearly medieval Christian themes) he still looks to nature to communicate

to his readers a familiar environment, even though we are lost alongside Dante in his tale. (src? As a literary device, an allegory is a metaphor in which a character, place or event is used to deliver a broader message about real- world issues and occurrences.)

In the Thirteenth Century CE Dante Alighieri (1265-1321CE) something somehing…and Much like Bai Juyi and Li Bai, an Italian Florentine Dante wanted his work to be accessible, using as common a language as possible to reach a wide audience.

qUoTE? Cannot find proper source ///He wrote the Comedy in a language he called "Italian", in some sense an amalgamated literary language mostly based on the regional dialect of Tuscany, but with some elements of Latin and other regional dialects.[45] He deliberately aimed to reach a readership throughout Italy including laymen, clergymen and other poets ////

One can dive deep into the allegorical and theological depths of Dante’s work. dante / POEM” QUOTE – Point to nature in canto I and canto 32 Canto XXXII “Had I but rhymes rugged and hard and hoarse,

Fit for the hideous hole on which the weight Of all those rocks grinds downward course by course,

Or the obvious canto I SAYERS: "Midway this way life we're bound upon, I woke to find myself in a dark wood, Where the right road was wholly lost and gone."

Pablo Neruda - Nature is Destructive (12 July 1904 – 23 September 1973) – captain’s verses, symbols of Love?romance? connection Neruda speaks to us through romance, but he uses nature as his focus. Nature is wild and dangerous, and yet it lives inside of us.

If you forget me “I want you to know one thing.

You know how this is: if I look at the crystal moon, at the red branch of the slow autumn at my window, if I touch near the fire the impalpable ash or the wrinkled body of the log,

everything carries me to you, as if everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, were little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for me.

Well, now, if little by little you stop loving me I shall stop loving you little by little.

If suddenly you forget me do not look for me, for I shall already have forgotten you.”

Every day you play

“You are here. Oh, you do not run away. You will answer me to the last cry. Curl round me as though you were frightened. Even so, a strange shadow once ran through your eyes.

Now, now too, little one, you bring me honeysuckle, and even your breasts smell of it. While the sad wind goes slaughtering butterflies I love you, and my happiness bites the plum of your mouth.

How you must have suffered getting accustomed to me, my savage, solitary soul, my name that sends them all running. So many times we have seen the morning star burn, kissing our eyes, and over our heads the gray light unwinds in turning fans.

My words rained over you, stroking you. A long time I have loved the sunned mother-of- pearl of your body. Until I even believe that you own the universe. I will bring you happy flowers from the mountains, bluebells, dark hazels, and rustic baskets of kisses. I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees.”

How does typography and punctuation lend a visual hand?

Aesthetics in the written word are very important. They communicate visually as well as within the language presented. So this is where typography, font designs, and even punctuation can drastically affect the meaning of poetry. Placement of a character in space and its relation to other characters can affect visually how we respond or receive

information. They give weight and can expand the language before our very eyes.

Reword // Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed. Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing, and letter-spacing, and adjusting the space between pairs of letters.// Most punctuation marks are designed to visually complement the typeface they are part of, in terms of weight, width, angle, and other design characteristics. Exceptions include periods, colons, dashes and hyphens, which are often basically the same design from typeface to typeface. //

Much of the work by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas(1914-1953CE) traditionally fits normal forms of poetry, however even he extended his style into certain poems that investigate typeface and formatting. As seen here in Vision and Prayer I&II:

Dylan Thomas(1914-1953CE), Vision and Prayer I &II Thomas129And Spire Cranes Thomas79

W h o A r e y o u Who is born In the next room So loud to my own That I can hear the womb Opening and the dark run Over the ghost and the dropped son Behind the wall thin as a wren’s bone ? In the birth bloody room unknown To the burn and turn of time And the heart print of man Bo w s n o b a p t i s m Bu t d a r k a l o n e Blessing on The wild Child.

Thomas not only writes moving and personal pieces, he moves the reader through his world…

e e cummings(1894-1962CE) Myths & Allegories 10 cum118

each why of a leaf says (floating each how) you're which as to die (each green of a new) you're who as to grow but you're he as to do

What role can lyricism play in poetry?

Lyricism plays and important role in poetry. Examples like the Chinese Book of Songs from the 7th Century BCE in the Zhou Dynasty or even the Han Dynasty’s collection

of anonymous folk songs by The Music Bureau later in the 2nd Century BCE, demonstrate the importance of words sung to music, which were easier to remember and easier to share. This is experienced throughout all history and our contemporary times. Music permeates all cultures. Li Bai and Bai Juyi and many poets before and after the Tang Dynasty were expected and dedicated to learning these historic forms of song and poetry. It was expected by all scholars to know these ancient tales and their meanings.

music and words meet often and we can see

Jim Morrison(1943-1971CE) in his own words says, “real poetry doesn’t say anything, it just ticks off the possibilities. Opens all doors. You can walk through any one that suits you... as long as there are human beings, songs and poetry can continue. If my poetry aims to achieve anything, it’s to deliver people from the limited ways in which they see and feel.” Mor2 He was greatly influenced by British romantic period poet, William BlakeErkel10, and so Morrison’s writing explores identities, perception, and liberation from the physical form, – much as Blake wrote as well that

liberation only comes if individuals are not affected by external influences. Morrison is more popularized as lead singer of The Doors, yet his poetry should not be dismissed. Poems from Wilderness volume one has lines that come from directly being in the moment. What could truly be more Zen like, living in satori? His writings are splayed out like cognition, experiential and staring back at us, forming a narrative that is underlined by an electric current. We can see where the focus is about being in the now, as if they are photographic stills off the reel, “white wings of / rabbits / grey velvet deer / The Canyon / The car a craft / is wretched / SPACE.” Mor40TheFear Morrison uses punctuations and capitalization, all of these edits from his own handwritten work. What he often portrays is existence, naked and urban or in desert wilds, travelling. This shares the depth of all beings, as it explores existence through experiential contemplation, this also is a depth we find through zazen.

(Likewise,) Canadian) musician Gordon Downie(1964-2017CE) in his collection entitled Coke Machine Glow, the table of contents list out the titles of pieces, but with radio buttons, each piece is defined as poems or lyrics. There

was nothing ethereal about Gord Downie. Every moment you could see he was a mortal person. That was his greatest strength, audiences could connect with his words because he showed you the beauty right in front of you, simple, honest, sincere. “Just blue lake stains / on green and purified, parceled squares: a crazy quilt of spearmint, or mustard and honey tones... / The Starpainters are taking over now, their scaffolding is in its place.” Downie21 What we encounter here is again, nature boldy facing us and what we can witness or share with the time we are given.

books to read

The Anchor Book of Chinese Poetry is a beautiful & comprehensive collection edited by Tony Barnstone and Chou Ping.

If you read only one zen book, read the Buddha in Blue Jeans by Tai Sheridan. It is a very short and beautiful little book on how to sit. Everyone can benefit from just having a read of this wonderfully simplistic guide; a free pdf exists online.

Peace is Every Breath: A Practice for Our Busy Lives by Zen Master, Thich Nhat Hanh: a simple book on how to just be.

Sit Down and Shut Up: Punk Rock Commentaries on Buddha, God, Truth, Sex, Death, and Dogen's Treasury of the Right Dharma Eye by Brad Warner*, part journal and part guide to some deep Japanese Buddhist teachings. *Brad is my favorite zen author.

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki, the quintessential guide on Zazen and sitting quietly.

Many more fabulous books and articles are listed in citations and resources.

citations and resources

Books

Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy 1: Hell. Translated by Dorothy Leigh Sayers, Penguin, 1949.

Barnstone, Tony, and Ping Chou, editors. The Anchor Book of Chinese Poetry: from Ancient to Contemporary, the Full 3000-Year Tradition. Anchor Books, 2005. cummings, e. e. Selected Poems. Edited by Richard S. Kennedy, Liveright / W.W. Norton, 2007.

Downie, Gordon. Coke Machine Glow. Vintage Canada, 2001.

Hamill, Sam, and Jerome P. Seaton. The Poetry of Zen. Shambhala, 2007.

Hanḥ , Thich Nhat.̂́ Peace Is Every Breath: A Practice for Our Busy Lives. HarperOne, 2011.

Hanḥ , Thich Nhat.̂́ The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy & Liberation: The Four Noble Truths, The Noble Eightfold Path, and Other Basic Buddhist Teachings. Harmony Books, 2015.

Jin, Ha. The Banished Immortal: A Life of Li Bai (Li Po). Pantheon Books, 2019.

Lama, Dalai, His Holiness. The Universe in a Single Atom: the Convergence of Science and Spirituality. Morgan Road Books, 2005.

Morrison, Jim. Wilderness: The Lost Writings of Jim Morrison. Vol. 1, Vintage Books, 1989.

Nishijima, Gudo,̄ and Chodo Cross, translators. Master Eihei Dogen's̄ Shobogenzo. Vol. 1, BookSurge, LLC, 2006.

Okumura, Shohaku, et al. The Mountains and Waters Sutra:̄ a Practitioners Guide to Dogen's̄ Sansuikyo.̄ Wisdom Publications, 2018.

Reps, Paul, and Nyogen Senzaki. Zen Flesh, Zen Bones: a Collection of Zen and Pre- Zen Writings. Tuttle Pub., 1998.

Reps, Paul. Writings from the Zen Masters. Penguin Books, 2009.

Ricard, Matthieu, and Xuan Thuan Trinh. The Quantum and The Lotus: a Journey to the Frontiers Where Science and Buddhism Meet. International Society for Science and Religion, 2007.

Sheridan, Tai. Buddha in Blue Jeans: An Extremely Short Simple Zen Guide to Sitting Quietly and Being Buddha. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2011.

Suzuki Shunryu,̄ et al. Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind: Informal Talks on Zen Meditation and Practice. Edited by Trudy Dixon, Shambhala, 2011

Thomas, Dylan. Collected Poems 1934-52. Everyman's Library, J.M. Dent & Sons LTD, 1975.

Thwaite, Anthony, and Geoffrey Bownas, translators. The Penguin Book of Japanese Verse. Penguin, 1964.

Various. Three Hundred Poems of the T'Ong Dynasty: Tang Shi San Bai Shou. Xianggang : Lian Yi Shu Dian, 1971.

Warner, Brad. Don't Be A Jerk and Other Practical Advice from Dogen, Japan's Greatest Zen Master: a Radical but Reverent Paraphrasing of Dogen's Treasury of the True Dharma Eye. New World Library, 2016.

Warner, Brad. Sit Down and Shut Up: Punk Rock Commentaries on Zen and Dogen's Treasury of the Right Dharma Eye. New World Library, 2007.

Articles

Yang, Xiaoshan. “Having It Both Ways: Manors and Manners in Bai Juyi's Poetry.” Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, vol. 56, no. 1, 1996, pp. 123– 149. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2719377.

Liscomb, Kathlyn Maurean. “Li Bai, a Hero among Poets, in the Visual, Dramatic, and Literary Arts of China.” The Art Bulletin, vol. 81, no. 3, 1999, pp. 354–389. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3051348.

about the font

This book is printed in Sabon which was originally designed by German typographer Jan Tschichold (c.1902-74), who named this typeface after the French typefounder Jacques Sabon, born 1535 in Lyon and died 1580 in Frankfurt.

Sabon is known for roman typeface forms, as also developed with other typefounders, such as Claude Garamond. When Garamond died, much of his collection of type was passed on to Platin and Sabon.

After Sabon's death, his widow married Frankfurt printer, Konrad Berner. The Sabon typeface, designed in the 1960s by Jan Tschichold, is based on a specimen printed by Berner.

Sabon LT Std Font permission from http://www.onlinewebfonts.com Online Web Fonts is licensed by CC BY 3.0

thank you