Why do you
so earnestly seek the
truth in distant places?
Look for delusion and truth
in the bottom of your
own hearts.
Ryōkan
Posts Tagged → ryokan
the world owes me nothing
Yes, I am
truly a dunce. Living
among the trees and plants,
don’t question me about illusion and
enlightenment. This old fellow just likes to smile to
himself. I wade across streams with bony legs,
and I carry a bag about in fine spring
weather. That’s my life, and
the world owes me
nothing.
humble and cleansed
Today
while begging,
I got caught in a shower.
For some time, I found shelter
in an old shrine. Laugh if you like at
the one jar and one bowl I own!
Humble and cleansed —
my life a broken
house.
the water of the mind
The water of the mind,
How clear it is!
Gazing at it,
The boundaries are invisible.
But as soon as even
A slight thought arises,
Ten thousand images crowd it.
Attach to them,
And they become real.
Be carried by them,
And it will be difficult to return.
How painful to see a person
Trapped in the ten-fold
delusions.
as a boy I was too lazy
As a boy I studied
literature, but was too lazy to
become a Confucian; in my younger days
I worked at Zen, but got no Dharma worth handing
down. Now I’ve built a grass hut, act as
custodian of a Shinto shrine,
half a shrine, half
a monk.