don’t seek

koichi okumura

 

Don’t

seek fame or

fortune, glory or prosperity.

Just pass this life as is, according to

circumstances. When the breath is gone, who is in

charge? After the death of the body, there is only an empty

name. When your clothes are worn, repair them over and

over; when you have no food, work to provide. How

long can a phantom-like body last? Would you

increase your ignorance for the sake

of its idle concerns?

 

Tung-shan

 

the great crocodile

 

I tell those around me

that if you turn away from the core,

your soul, you will fall into an unliving stupor.

The great crocodile comes and crushes your ship.

Eyes go one way, ears another; your intelligence

skews beyond reason. This disaster

can visit anyone.

 

When your ability

to choose comes back, your identity

will strengthen; ear and eye will realign;

and you can again be a friend,

a lover, a devotee.

 

Bahauddin