A Pause Along Our Path

A haiku is not a poem, it is not literature;

it is a hand becoming,

a door half-opened, a mirror wiped clean.

It is a way of returning to nature, to our moon nature,

our cherry blossom nature, our falling leaf nature,

in short, to our Buddha nature.

To what shall I compare this life of ours? Even before I can say it is like a lightning flash or a dewdrop it is no more.

The body is the tree of enlightenment, The mind like a clear mirror stand; Time and gain wipe it diligently,

Don't let it gather dust.

The more you know, the less you understand.

No matter where you go, there you are.

From Enlightened Masters: Zen Master Joshu, born in 778 CE