stick calligraphy

"In the end, accepting one's dependence on the delicate balance of nature is more important than striving to gain mastery over the world." Yi-Ping Ong

too many books?

man has 10,000 books.
wife says, "we're drowning in sea of books!"
man says, "books contain knowledge."
wife says, "what good is knowledge if all you do is read books?"
man takes 5,000 books to thrift store.
everybody happy.
man walks to car, smiles.
man says, "now have room for 5,000 new books!"

____

“The Tao is a treasure … This has nothing to do with material alchemy. It is utterly simple, utterly easy … It is completely spiritual, true goodness. The ridiculous thing is that foolish people seek mysterious marvels, when they do not know enough to preserve the mysterious marvel that is actually present.” 

Liu I-ming  Awakening to the Tao, trans by Thomas Cleary and Into Mountains, Over Streams

monkey walks on 2 feet
dog walks on 4 feet
ant walks on 6 feet
spider walks on 8 feet.
centipede walks on 100 feet.
millipede walks on 1,000 feet.
alens from Jupiter walk on 10,000 feet.

vast Universe, many feet.
just walk.
when tired rest feet.
shoes optional.


_ _ _

one big Mu

man has dream.
dream master asks "what is Mu?"
man has dream enlightenment -
"hahaha! dream is Mu!"
dream master hits man with dream stick.

next morning dream is just dream
sun is just sun
tree is just tree
dog is just dog.

walking, talking, eating -
100% Mu -

man says, "Universe one big Mu!"


--- --- ---

to create reality:
look, listen, taste, touch, smell.
to transcend reality:
look, listen, taste, touch, smell.

no ladder required.

--  -- --

when drinking tea, taste each sip.
when eating noodles, taste each bite.
when driving car, taste each mile.
when watching sky, taste each cloud.
when taking nap, taste each dream.

when waking up - taste Universe!

.

amphibious zazen

when sitting like frog,
   think
      like
         frog.

              in
           center
of expanding Universe -
          a small
              ?

don't know

Only go straight - don't know!

This means drop your ideas and concepts and see clearly, hear clearly. Then the constantly changing, appearing and disappearing situations, conditions and relationships of our life are clear, untainted by our small-minded greed, anger and delusion.

Zen Master Bon Soeng

......

Chuang Tzu

"Earth's natural process is itself both our fate in life and our transcendence, for self is but a fleeting form taken on by earth's process of change - born out of it, and returned to it in death. Or more precisely, never out of it: totally unborn. Our truest self, being unborn, is all and none of earth's fleeting forms simultaneously." David Hinton, Chuang Tzu, The Inner Chapters.

.

laughing Buddha

Otagaki Rengetsu

The clear

enlightening wind

of the Buddha,

blowing across the mountains:

a procession of white clouds.

using I Ching to solve existential problem of self

toss three coins
six times:
off on off on off off
hexagram 40
water/thunder.

sit back
inhale/exhale -
repeat.

read commentary in Book of Changes:
"don't shoot self in foot!"

put coins away
put Book of Changes on shelf
walk outside:
sun on vacation
clouds dance like geese in sky
thunder rumbles over snake river.

at this moment
infinite possibilities;
how to decide right action"
big existential problem.

       __ -- __

make pot of tea.
when tea is ready
sit beneath umbrella,
listen to birds sing.
be careful not to spill tea.
drink slowly
perceive hidden flavor
of mountain, soil, nitrogen, fungi, photosynthesis,
river, earth energy.
enjoy!

no more existential problem.

      --_--

Blue Buddha

ice is water
steam is water
snow is water
rain is water
ocean is water.

boil water
pour into tea pot.
let leaves steep,
fill tea cup.
taste -
ah!

thank you
water.

to understand flower
talk to flower.
to understand tree
talk to tree.
to understand mountain
talk to mountain.
to understand ocean
talk to ocean.

to understand self
quit talking.


.....

atomic dance

Universe -
big game
of
musical
chairs.

new moon
year of snake -
eat dumplings
drink tea
enjoy family.

bow to Universe.


.....

cup of tea

( ^^) _U~~　( ^^) _旦~~

.........

watercourse way

"There is no point in trying to suppress the babble of words and ideas that goes on in most adult brains, so if it won't stop, let it go on as it will, and listen to it as if it were the sound of traffic or the clucking of hens." Alan Watts

......

U 5.0

when painting with ink
make brush one with paper.
when painting a house
make brush one with wood.
when painting a portrait
make brush one with face.
when painting Buddha
make brush one with impermanence.
when painting Universe
make brush disappear.

Echigo Tsumari Art Field

"In summer, cultivate the fields. In winter, cultivate the mind."


.....

U=what?

watch kung fu movie -
cheer for good guy
boo bad guy.
at end of movie
good guy and bad guy
shake hands,
laugh,
on Way
to bank.

Tofu Dog runs
in blinding
snow storm.
woof! woof!
snow storm answers
with thundering silence.

Big Dream

man wakes up, says, "Eureka!'

wife says, "now what?

man says, "big dream shows me Meaning of Life!'

wife says, "will Meaning of Life help you mow yard or carry out garbage?"

man says, "Meaning of Life too cosmic for garbage."

wife says, "go back to sleep."

when drinking tea
don't forget
to turn on
taste buds.

no
such
thing
as
a
clumsy
squirrel.

frequency (static)

winter chi