St. Seraphim and the
Bear
The bear looked in on Seraphim,
“Unusual” he’d say of him.
When Seraphim woke up at last,
The bear, he chose to eat him fast.
Because when Seraphim awoke,
He was like any other bloke.
Nothing
I went to the woods
Empty-handed.
And came back with my cupped hands,
Full of cake,
A bouquet of flowers,
Or even grasses.
Only when I came back,
Empty-handed,
Was it any good.
Samsara
Samsara is a joke.
Nirvana is
Finally
Getting it, and laughing.
Compassion
Compassion doesn’t draw
A crowd, not like
Self-interest and hatred.
Like anything that sets a
Boundary between me, you,
And enemy, or God. And
puts “them”
“Over there.”
Self-interest and hatred
Last forever.
Compassion’s secret is that it is
Indestructible.
Love
Love is a word.
That stands for the secret of the universe.
That moves the Sun and other Stars.
Like Dante said,
Though in Medieval Italy,
He said “amore.”
So it’s the secret of the universe,
That no one can speak of.
Jesus and Buddha
The Buddha, now, he was a king,
The working class was Jesus’ thing.
From each of them religion arose,
Though neither of them wanted those.
Though Jesus’ sacrifice was neat,
The Buddha ate some poisoned meat.
And lived a long life, doing good,
He sanctified the neighborhood.
It would take a thousand years,
Or more, the bodhisattva then appears.
Duck
It takes someone
as sophisticated
As me to
Need
The beauty he
points to,
Just by swimming
along.
Just doing what
he does.
He doesn’t even
know.
He doesn’t need
to.
Maybe
Maybe the black bird
Will walk along the lookout railing.
Maybe that lady will bring him food.
Maybe the sun will shine through
The thick greenery.
Maybe you’ll be grateful for it too.
Maybe the ducks will quack.
Maybe they will leave a trail in the water.
Maybe you’ll offer an embarrassed
Thank you.
Maybe the light on the water
Will be as beautiful as it is.
Maybe revealing the beauty all around.
Maybe.
Profound Truth
Sometimes
Getting things wrong,
Habitually,
Is as good as,
Getting things right.
This is an
Ancient teaching.
Kinhin
How do I take,
the
Next step?
A good koan for
All of life.
Or the next step.
Whichever comes
first.
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