
goat’s beard
coming to visit
this summer breeze
a gentle guide for the one
coming to visit
in place of morn’ dew
regrets as I may,
even the bell
has a different sound now,
and soon frost will fall
in place of morning dew
~Saigyo (B. Watson, Poems of a Mountain Home)

gifts from heaven
The cloud-covered sky
is all open.
The heart of takuhatsu*
as it is –
a gift from heaven.
~Ryokan (Sky Above Great Wind, K Tanahashi)

*takuhatsu – alms-begging. Ryokan relied only on the fruits of takahassu for his food and substance.
interconnected
When you look at a leaf or a raindrop, meditate on all the conditions, near and distant, that have contributed to the presence of that leaf or raindrop. Know that the world is woven of interconnected threads. This is, because that is. This is not, because that is not. This is born because that is born. This dies, because that dies.
The birth and death of any dharma are connected to the birth and death of all other dharms. The one contains the many and the many contain the one. Without the one, there cannot be the many. Without the many, there cannot be the one.
…the interconnected links consist of many layers and levels…
~Thich Nhat Hanh (Old Path White Clouds)

umbrella
goats beard’s
umbrellas taking shape
spring rain

enduring trace
Like the comfortless plover of the beach
In the sand printing characters soon to be washed away.
Unable to leave a more enduring trace in this fleeting world.
~The Sarashina Diary, AD 1009-1059 (Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan)

The enduring qualities of art…speaking through time’s boundaries…resonating with the soul’s deep and private moments.
wpc: it is easy being green!
The first dream of the year –
I kept it a secret
and smiled to myself ~Sho-U

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