Poetry
Meanings are universal, but expressions are parochial; and even within one language a single meaning can be expressed in a variety of ways. We are indeed fortunate that deep poetic thoughts are multi-leveled and that a translator, working with the nuances of his native language, may select from any of these levels or supply an interpretation that differs slightly from another translator's version.
In the spirit of Zen, we welcome different interpretations of the poems on our website.
Subcategories
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Poems from our clergy
Selected Poems by Fa Guang
by Fa Guang Shakya
Published Mar 12, 2009
Origins The Mind knows beyond farhere a blooming weedout there a fading star Sitting Through It Thoughts of my hometown...how many worlds are there,shimmering in and out of the mind? Tao Lesson We hear the wind whisper in languages foreignAnd study one cloud through a hall of mirrors.Sights and sounds understood by none.No nouns, no... Read more
Time to Clean the House
by Fa Guang, OHY
Published Mar 12, 2009
So little time, so much to do.Sweep unpleasant thingsUnder the rug of Time.Divide seconds into smaller parts.But clocks have no room For smaller "parts."No time, just a continuum.A verse with no rhyme,Coming from nowhere, going nowhere.Yet here is where I am,And there is where I was,Or perhaps where I will be.And... Read more
Chan Teachings of Hsu Yun
by Fa Lian of Greece
Published Jun 20, 2006
Power Point shows The Chan Teachings of Hsu Yun, part four The Chan Teachings of Hsu Yun, part five Read more
The Meanderer: the Woman and the Little Mirrors
by Fa Lian Shakya of Greece
Published Apr 11, 2005
The Meanderer: the Woman and the Little Mirrors Read more
Just Sitting - Black Mountain
by Fa Lian Shakya of Greece
Published Mar 15, 2005
Sitting on top of the waxen rock mountain - Looking nowhere, looking everywhere, Seeking rebirth. I'll know the place when I see it Even if clouds are hiding it most of the time. Life is like a dream in a dream and nightmare too ... The only Way... Read more
Next Movement
by Fa Lian Shakya of Greece
Published Aug 24, 2003
Sitting in the dark Sitting on top of the stairs The little child is looking nowhere, Looking everywhere - Getting strength for the goal to overcome The dark with the light within. Time was slow and heavy was it future or past When waiting in the present? The scenery... Read more
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Poems from our readers and members
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The Christmas of 2008
by Paul B.
Published Dec 16, 2008
It is a special time of year: We give thanks for everything we have,And we give thanks for everything we don't.We remember everything we need,And we forget everything we don't.We ask for nothing,We give everything.We look deeply and see man's true nature,And now we know why:For it is in this season... Read more
Passing
by Paul B.
Published Oct 10, 2008
I STAND IN ABSOLUTE SILENCE AND LOOK TO THE WESTTHE MIGHTY MOHAWK RUNS WITH A FORCE LIKE LIFE ITSELFI LOOK AS FAR AS I CAN SEE UNTIL THE RIVER DISAPPEARSAND WHILE I CANNOT SEE IT ANY MORE I KNOW IN MY HEART IT RUNS WITH THE SAME MIGHTY FORCEMY BARE... Read more
Sunset
by Fa Jian
Published Oct 24, 2007
Spending valuable time aloneFacing West, sitting comfortablyIn the evening on the porchAnd watching the sun go down Being in the lovely companySurrounded by furry friendsWho are watching with meAnd experiencing the sun go down Tasting of some good wineEnjoying nature's tranquilityBeing at peace with everythingAnd being one with the sun going down. Read more
I Only Journey this Path Once
by Fa Jian
Published Oct 23, 2007
Some people cross our life for a season,because it is time to share, grow and learn.They bring experience of peace and joy.They say or teach something new and enriching, even if not felt right awayIt is real, but only for a season. Long relations teach lifetime lessons:Wisdom and maturity must be... Read more
Progression of Sitting
by Fa Liang
Published Oct 23, 2007
The phone ringsand I sit The dog barksand I sit I remember deadlinesappointmentspast due noticesobligationsdeclined invitationsand I sit I feel angersadnessfearjoyapathyecstasyand still I sit The wind blowsthe flower bloomsthe rain fallsand I sit I know nothingI am nothingand yet,I am everything and I sit. Read more
Conquering Evil
by Fa Jian
Published Oct 10, 2007
Evil seeks its victim among the weak.A robber does not attack a fortress.A thief does not steal when watched.A liar does not slander the truth well known. Offer robbery a strong fortress that cannot be conquered;Give thievery a watching eye that cannot be escaped;Make the truth well known that cannot be... Read more
Painting Buddha
by Pawel Kowalik
Published Feb 06, 2006
Deep, crystal abyss brightened by a light is a million doors from the other side, but here are none. No questions asked. Liberated from myself, all of what is left of me floats across eternity, And Rocked by the Waves Of the Universal Rythm Drifts Away Into A New Existence. Read more
Summer Rain
by Fa Che
Published Jul 13, 2005
It would seem that once the leavesfall from the tree, lay upon the ground,and become covered by rain,that this would be enough. One leaf in particular turning orangeand brown, with small holes in it,drifted down onto the placeof meditation in the woods. No longer does the practicefill the wooded hillsideand no longer... Read more
Or not . . .
by G. Lucas
Published Jun 13, 2005
I once was a dreamer, lost in the waves of the ocean which battered me, and threw me around, here, there, everywhere. Somewhere in this dream, by an act of grace, or not, I began to wake up. And then I realized something utterly profound, or not. There was no dreamer... Read more
Night on the Great River
by Fa Xin Shakya
Published Jun 07, 2004
After a Zen poem by Meng Hao-Ren photo by Yao Feng of Corinth When you were buying ripe cherimoyas from a man on a donkey, in Nerja, it was still the middle of the night here. I would awaken, unable to breathe - not for lack of air,... Read more
Haiku by Jerry Earley
by Jerry Earley
Published Jun 23, 2003
Hummingbirds hoveras bumblebees give teachingto happy Ch'an monks - Jerry Earley, 2003 Read more
Haiku by Zheng Hui
by Zheng Hui
Published Jun 16, 2003
Chipmunk Road Eleven chipmunksGreeted me as I walked byIn my hiking shoes! Time and tide will waitWhen I am walking softlyOn a quiet road. - Zheng Hui, 2003 Read more
on a New York line
by Yao Feng of Tasmania
Published Sep 25, 2002
A haiku written about an Australian firefighter to his twin brother in one of the World Trade Center towers. on a New York linesaying last goodbyesto a recorded message Read more
Poems by Yin Ming Shakya
by Yin Ming Shakya
Published Jul 11, 2002
Sesshin Snapshots Early morning hush, candles flicker Lights glint from Buddha figures and Pictures of ancestors Incense smoke curls In currents and eddies Subtly coloring the air As we prepare to meet ourselves In the silence of shared breath At dawn The nightingale sings A chorus of flowers... Read more
Rain's grace
by Petko (of Bulgaria)
Published Apr 22, 2002
The rain falls gracefully.Countless drops, separated,but together.I am on my way! The bubbles emergeand disappear on the surfaceof the puddles. Read more
From Duality to Unity
by Yao Feng (of the Tropics)
Published Apr 08, 2002
In the stillness and silence of what I call my place,I thought I was alone. So, I sang, and I danced, and I talked...I thought I was alone. Then I laughed, and I cried, and I prayed, and I implored...I thought I was alone. Then, I realized,... Read more
Opposite End
by Fa Hu
Published Sep 18, 2001
As a little girlI'd go to the parkwearing hand-me-downs and hope.I'd run to the see sawsbut there was no one to lift no one to share it withno friend for the opposite end. I'd stroll to the swingssway back and forthonly daring to wishfor just one friendonly onejust someone for... Read more
A Poem
by Yao Feng of Tasmania
Published Jun 13, 2001
The view from my house in the Mount Wellington Range, Hobart, Tasmania The walls of cool mist,dance with the morning sun.Far off the birds sing and call,riding the early morning breeze.Soon the mountains are crisp and clearin the newness of dawn.All thoughts of this world, vanish in nature's breast. All is one with... Read more
Haiku by Chuan Kong Shakya
by Chuan Kong Shakya
Published Jun 13, 2000
Even emptinessEmpties itself inside out;Our cups overflow! Withering flowersDie and live, live and die, ah;Seamless unfolding..... Looking deeper stillWithin; the ancient mirror,Gone, suddenly gone. Now this new bright faceShines in the emptiness;Thus! All is so clear. Reverence for lifeAnd the Bodhisattva vow -Oh these mosquitoes. No longer needed;An old abandoned raftSimply drifts away. Dripping ambrosia,Iridescent humming... Read more
Vision of Dusk
by Fa Xin
Published Apr 10, 2000
One morning born of anger, autumn frost is melted by heated hearts.My heart burns for indifferent days,when the sun set with no worries.A time where the starry midnight meetingknew not of dreams this gloomy or dark. Cut thru this greyscale vision of duskAnd bloom learning with eyes of change.This pessimist tongue that... Read more
More Poems by Fa Ming
by Fa Ming Shakya
Published Jun 16, 1999
Don't strive after anything. Don't seek to attain. The True Mind is there already. By letting go, relinquish the need to make Distinctions, Discriminations,Separations. When separations vanish Buddha-nature is known directly. Just ... Read more
The Mask
by Fa Ming (of the Garden State)
Published Jun 14, 1999
(writen in resonse to a friend) The mask is placed upon the face,yet envelopes all of me.For, with no disguise, how would your eyeshandle what they see? I am yesterday, tomorrow, today,I am all that will ever exist...the tears you fear, the noise you hear,a long awaited kiss. For you, I bend; to... Read more
Poems by Yao Feng
by Yao Feng (of the Islands)
Published Mar 08, 1999
Swallows Across the threshold of a late afternoonautumn light, a serpentine river of swallows,suspended by angels, swims over our heads,inviting us to cross the veil... Read more
Poems by Yin Zhao Shakya
by Yin Zhao Shakya
Published Jun 08, 1998
Placing the ego in my palmsA smile appears When I gaze between the eyesI become the moon When I stare at the heartbliss fills the body When hisssss tingles the throatI jump into the void When pleasure touches the lapMy hands dance with the rhythm When light fills the headI disappear Read more
Poems by e.j.
by e. j.
Published Apr 07, 1998
Clouds drifting bywrite all that need be saidWhite ink dissolving into blue paperReappeared as sunset rose Fall leaves and rainAgain remind me of this year's passing. Evening swallows turn as oneSky fish bound for a rendevous with nightOne, caught, flutters withinCarrying my heart in magical flight Floating before usBlack waves upon the breezeSwerve... Read more
Nothing to gain
by Than Nguyen
Published Aug 28, 1997
Nothing there to gain.Nothing there to lose.No center nor vastness.Accepting existence and non existenceIs the same as harmonizing within and without;The same as rejecting no evilness and no goodness.Leaving behind the terminology, one enters the true-self.Where is the universe?What is there to say? Read more
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Poetry of Hsu Yun
Poems by Zen Master Hsu Yun: Series V
by Master Hsu Yun
Published Jun 16, 2009
On Novices being robed for the first time. The Buddha grieves that we must face such hardship.He's so lovingly concerned for people like us. Don't let pretty flowers dazzle your young eyes.An empty room can't get dustyAnd even the lucky favorite is pursued by death. So don't be too arrogant or impatient,Take your... Read more
Poems by Zen Master Hsu Yun: Series IV
by Master Hsu Yun
Published Jun 16, 2009
Returning to Mount Gu Meeting with Master Gu Yue (Master Ancient Moon) For thirty years I've traveled. At last I return to this village.One bamboo walking stick and I'm back to old Spring days spent here. As cold smoke encases fine mistSparse stands of bamboo surround this ethereal mystic. Suddenly things are strange... Read more
Poems by Zen Master Hsu Yun: Series III
by Master Hsu Yun
Published Jun 16, 2009
A Time of Regulation What luck! The chance to practice the Supreme Dharma of EmptinessWithout fear of being invaded by the foolish affairs of outside life! Set the time of sitting! Make it just as long as it takes one fragrant incense stick to burn down.In that time we can thread the... Read more
Poems by Zen Master Hsu Yun: Series II
by Master Hsu Yun
Published Jun 16, 2009
Chant of the Heart's Impression This is an exquisite truth:Saints and ordinary folks are the same from the start. Eventually there's a difference between them.You don't borrow string when you've got a good strong rope. Every Dharma is known in the heart.After the rain, the mountain color intensifies. Once you become familiar with the... Read more
Poems by Zen Master Hsu Yun: Series I
by Master Hsu Yun
Published Jun 16, 2009
Meeting Tang Yousheng Twenty-one years old and from my village, yet!So bright and filled with fresh ideas.No wonder you gained such a high post in Tenchong.I seemed ancient when I came to Chan. We simmered tea and talked and talkedComing up with one great line after another.We hung up a lamp and... Read more
Oxherding Poems by Hsu Yun
by Master Hsu Yun
Published Mar 13, 2009
Illustrations by Fa Lian Shakya - Greece 1. Pushing Aside the Grass to Look for the Ox Wanting to break through to Emptiness with my white cudgelI cried out louder than the bellowing Ox, mooing through my senses.I followed mountain and stream searching for the Ox, seeking it everywhere.But I couldn't tell... Read more
Spring Rain
by Master Hsu Yun
Published Mar 09, 2009
Translated to Pinyin (from the English translation) by Fa Xian Read more
Searching For The Dharma
by Master Hsu Yun
Published Mar 05, 2009
With translations in many languages You've traveled up ten thousand steps in search of the Dharma.So many long days in the archives, copying, copying.The gravity of the Tang and the profundity of the Sung make heavy baggage.Here! I've picked you a bunch of wildflowers.Their meaning is the samebut they're much easier... Read more
An Exquisite Truth
by Master Hsu Yun
Published Mar 05, 2009
With translations in many languages This is an exquisite truth:Saints and ordinary folks are the same from the start.Inquiring about a differenceIs like asking to borrow string when you've got a good strong rope.Every Dharma is known in the heart.After a rain, the mountain colors intensify.Once you become familiar with the... Read more
Going Beyond Desire
by Master Hsu Yun
Published Mar 05, 2009
With translations in many languages Striving to leave the wildernessYou become part of what's wild.Striving to cease graspingIs, itself, grasping.So how do you gain control and get beyond desire?Open those eyes... the ones that were born in your own skull. Vuot qua moi uoc vong Dich Thuat Thanh Nguyen Sobrepasa el... Read more
Heart Of The Buddha
by Master Hsu Yun
Published Feb 23, 2009
With translations in many languages No need to chase back and forth like the waves. The same water which ebbs is the same water that flows. No point turning back to get water When it's flowing around you in all directions The heart of the Buddha and the people of the world... Where is there any... Read more
The Barking Dog
by Master Hsu Yun
Published Feb 23, 2009
With Translations is many languages We went up across the ridge for the fun of it.Didn't need to pack any more wine.On the precipice, flowers opened, smiling.By the river, willows grew bright.In the drizzling rain the village smoke congealed, concealed.The wind was slight and the grass was cool.There in the woods'... Read more
Bitter Rain
by Master Hsu Yun
Published Feb 23, 2009
With translations in many languages Bitter rain soaks the pile of kindling twigs.The night so cold and still the lamp flame hardly moves.Clouds condense and drench our stone walled hut.Broken rushes clog the reed gate's way.The stream gurgles, a torrent in its bed.That's all we hear. Only rarely, comes a human... Read more
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Special selections
The Mozhao Ming
by Hong Zhi
Published Jan 13, 2011
12th Century AD In complete silence words are forgotten,total clarity appears before you.When you reflect it, it is boundlessly vast,and your body becomes numinous. Numinous it is illuminated without relying on anything,in illumination, you return to the transcendent [miao].The dewy moon on the Milky Way,the snow-clad pine on the cloudy peak. In darkness... Read more
The Fool
by attributed to The Buddha
Published Dec 02, 2010
Long is the night to one who is awake. Long is ten miles to one who is tired. Long is the cycle of birth and deathto the fool who does not know the true path. If a traveller does not meet with one who is better or equal, let one firmly... Read more
Hakuin's Song of Zazen
by Hakuin (1686 - 1768)
Published Mar 02, 2010
English translation by Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki All beings are primarily Buddhas. It is like water and ice:There is no ice apart from water;There are no Buddhas apart from beings. Not knowing how close the truth is to them,Beings seek for it afar -- what a pity!They are like those who, being in the... Read more
Meditation 17
by John Donne
Published Feb 20, 2010
Perchance he for whom this bell tolls may be so ill, as that he knows not it tolls for him; and perchance I may think myself so much better than I am, as that they who are about me, and see my state, may have caused it to toll for... Read more
The Ten Oxherding Pictures: Series 2
by Kaku-an & Kuo An Zhe
Published Jun 16, 2009
English translations from poems by Kaku-anChinese poems by Kuo An Zhe I. Searching for the Ox Alone in the wilderness, lost in the jungle, the boy is searching, searching! The swelling waters, the far-away mountains, and the unending path; Exhausted and in despair, he knows not where to go, He only hears the evening cicadas... Read more
The Ten Oxherding Pictures: Series 1
by Unknown
Published Jun 16, 2009
The Ten Oxherding Pictures of Zen: Series 1 I. Undisciplined With his horns fiercely projected in the air the beast snorts, Madly running over the mountain paths, farther and farther he goes astray! A dark cloud is spread across the entrance of the valley, And who knows how much of the fine fresh herb... Read more
Muhammad and the Huge Eater
by Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi
Published Jun 16, 2009
Translated by Coleman Barks Excerpt from "Delicious Laughter, Rambunctious Teaching Stories from the Mathnawi" by Coleman Barks. 1990 Paypop Books, 196 Westview Drive, Athens, GA 30606. (Note: Husam was Rumi's much loved assistant. Rumi teases him.) Husam demands that we begin Book V.Ziya-Haqq, the Radiance of Truth, ... Read more
Oxherding Poems by Hsu Yun
by Master Hsu Yun
Published Mar 13, 2009
Illustrations by Fa Lian Shakya - Greece 1. Pushing Aside the Grass to Look for the Ox Wanting to break through to Emptiness with my white cudgelI cried out louder than the bellowing Ox, mooing through my senses.I followed mountain and stream searching for the Ox, seeking it everywhere.But I couldn't tell... Read more
Have Mercy on Me, My Soul!
by Courtesy of Kahlil Gibran online (www.kahlil.org)
Published Mar 13, 2009
Why are you weeping, my Soul?Knowest thou my weakness?Thy tears strike sharp and injure,For I know not my wrong.Until when shalt thou cry?I have naught but human words to interpret your dreams,Your desires, and your instructions. Look upon me, my Soul;I have consumed my full life heeding your teachings.Think of how... Read more
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