no longer bound

by what I thought I owned

no longer living in another person’s life

I am whatever I will let myself become

last night I dreamed a flying turtle

wolves inside a mountain     burning arrow

at the bottom of a lake

oracle of the turtle

Buddha’s

teaching cannot be

attained by having ideas

or not having ideas. Only when

the mind of pure practice coincides

with the way will body and mind be calm.

If body and mind are not yet calm, they

will not be at ease. When body and

mind are not at ease, thorns

grow on the path of

realization.

So that

pure practice and

the way coincide, how should

we proceed? Proceed with the mind which

neither grasps nor rejects, the mind unconcerned

with name or gain. Do not practice buddha-dharma with the

thought that it is to benefit others…Do not practice buddha-dharma

for your own sake. Do not practice buddha-dharma for name and

gain. Do not practice buddha-dharma to attain blissful reward.

Do not practice buddha-dharma to attain miraculous

effects. Practice buddha-dharma solely for

the sake of buddha-dharma.

This is the way.

Dogen

All that’s

important is concentrated

focus, purity, and stillness. Even when

you are engaged in doing things, this is not something

external. Take hold of them and return them to yourself —

this is what wondrous function is. The eighty thousand

sensory afflictions are immediately transformed

into eighty thousand means of transcendence,

and there is no more need to make

a special point of studying

with teachers.

Yuanwu

Our actions

entrench the power of the light

on this planet. Every positive thought we pass

between us makes room for more light. And if we do more

than think, then our actions clear the path for even

more light. That is why forgiveness and

compassion must become more

important principles in

public life…

Anchor the eternity

of love in your own soul and embed

this planet with goodness. Lean toward the whispers

of your own heart, discover the universal truth,

and follow its dictates. Release the need

to hate, to harbor division, and the

enticement of revenge. Release

all bitterness.

Hold only love,

only peace in your heart,

knowing that the battle of good

to overcome evil is already won. Choose

confrontation wisely, but when it is

your time don’t be afraid to stand

up, speak up, and speak out

against injustice.

And if you

follow your truth

down the road to peace

and the affirmation of love,

if you shine like a beacon for all to see,

then the poetry of all the great dreamers and

philosophers is yours to manifest in

a nation, a world community, and

a Beloved Community that is

finally at peace with

itself.

that glorious saint John Lewis