“To be aware is to be aware of something. When the mind settles on the mountain, it becomes the mountain. When it settles on the sea, it becomes the sea. When we say. ‘know,’ both the known and the knower are included.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh (The Sun My Heart)
I hope you enjoy hearing this amazing young man sing…
the road home –
longer for all
after blossom viewing
~Socho (Trans: S Carter, Haiku before Haiku)
When you are in touch with the suffering in the world, it is so easy for despair to overwhelm you. …Throughout the war in Vietnam young people easily became the victims of despair because the war went on for so long and it seemed it would never end. It is the same with the situation in the Middle East. young Israelis and Palestinians feel the heavy atmosphere of war will never end.
Animals, plants, and minerals also suffer because of the greed of human beings. The earth, the water and air are suffering because we have polluted them. The trees suffer because we destroy the forest for our own profit. Some species have become extinct because of the destruction of the natural environment. Humans also destroy and exploit one another. How can we stop ourselves from collapsing in despair?
The bodhisattva of wonderful sound, Gadgadashvara, can use music, writings and sound to awaken people. If you are a poet, a writer or a composer you can be that bodhisattva. Your artistic creations are not just to help people forget their pain momentarily but to water the seeds of awakened understanding and compassion in others. Among us are so many writers, poets and composers who are using the wonderful ocean of sound to serve the way of understanding and love…(excerpts from Thich Nhat Hanh’s No Death, No Fear)
on horseback
making a silent bow…
thin mist
~Issa (www.haikuguy.com)
On an afternoon walk, we came upon an end-of-school celebration at a local park. As I wandered about the carnival setting, memories of past transitions that included a sense of freedom came to mind. Freedom to play, to explore, to be… My summers were a time in which I was allowed to roam over hills and through meadows, to swim in rivers and creeks, and to reenact storybook characters. No television, no internet, no social media…just freedom to play in an landscape that extended far beyond the horizon.
jump on over to Lost in Translation to participate
Friend: The Roget’s International Thesaurus listed friend as:
acquaintance, confidant, inseparable, alter ego, sisterhood, fellowman, well-wisher, supporter, companion, associate, compeer, consort, colleague, partner, crony, chum, buddy, roommate, schoolmate, playmate, …
I identify friend as one with whom, for a too-short period of time, we walked side-by-side, sharing our unique and separate lives and gifting us with memories to cherish during the times of separation.
Tree
Within a tree
another tree that is not yet,
and now the upper branches shift in the wind.
Within the blue sky
another blue sky that is not yet,
and now the horizon is rent by a bird in flight.
Within a body
another body that is not yet,
and now the shrine gathers blood.
Within a road
another road that is not yet,
and now that space is shaken by my destination.
–Kora Rumiko
“…the power of attraction exerted by totalitarian thinking, whether of the left or of the right, does not belong to the past…
When a writer strives to present reality most faithfully he becomes convinced that the untruth is at times the greatest truth. The world is so rich and so complex that the more one tries not to omit any part of the truth, the more one uncovers wonders that elude the pen.
…
Eyes that have seen should not be shut; hands that have touched should not forget when they take up the pen.”
~Czeslaw, Milosz: The Captive Mind
Spring departs –
the clear moon oblivious
of passing time
~Soseki (S Carter, Haiku before Haiku)
this image of a dandelion is submitted in response to Lost in Translation’s photo challenge.
Our Enemy
Our enemy wears the colors of ideology.
Our enemy wears the label of liberty.
Our enemy carries a fancy appearance.
Our enemy carries a big basked filled with words.
Our enemy is not man.
If we kill men, with whom shall we live?
~Pham Day (Thich Nhat Hanh, Call Me by My True Names)
…views themselves are ideas or perceptions. Any perception has two parts: a viewer (subject) and that which is being viewed (object). A self view, a person view, a living-being view, and a life span view are all objects of perception. They are neither independently existing or permanent. Like everything else, they are of the nature of interbeing.
~Thich Nhat Hanh, The Diamond that Cuts through Illusion
Unable to sleep,
I gaze at the flowers of the bush clover,
as the dew forms on them from the long night,
till suddenly before dawn
they are scattered by the wind.
~Ise Tayu (K Rexroth & I Atsumi, The Burning Heart)
a meditative journey 
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