December..

Ahh, sort of in the mood for Dawson’s Creek *A good Dawson’s creek poem, if they were buddhist!

Refuge Prayer

At the food of the Bodhi tree,
beautifully seated, peaceful and smiling,
the living source of understanding and compassion,
to the Buddha I go for refuge.

December

Three a.m.—a far bell
       coming closer:
fling up useless futon on the shelf;
outside, ice-water in the hand &wash the face.
        Ko the bird-head, silent, skinny,
        swiftly cruise the room with
        salt plum tea.

Bell from the hondo chanting sutras. Gi:
deep bell, small bell, wooden drum.
    sanzen at four
    kneel on icy polish boards in line:

Shukuza rice and pickles
barrel and bucket
dim watt bulb.
     till daybreak nap upright.
                                     sweep
     garden and hall.
     frost outside
                          wind through walls
At eight the lecture bell.
Ke helps the robe—red, gold,
      black lacquer in the shadow
      sun and cold

Saiza a quarter to ten
soup and rice dab on the bench
feed the hungry ghosts
     back in the hall by noon.
two o clock sanzen
three o clock bellywarmer
    boild up soup-rice mush.
dinging and scuffing.     Out back smoke,
                          and talk.

At dusk, at five,
black robes draw into the hall.
      stiff joints, sore knees bend
      the jiki pads by with his incense lit,
                               bells,
     wood block crack
& stick slips round the room
on soft straw sandals.

seven, sanzen
tea, and a leaf-shaped candy.
kinhin at eight with folden hands—
     single-file racing in flying robes leaning
                                   to wake—
nine o clock one more sanzen
ten, hot noodles,
three bowls each.

Sit until midnight.    Chant.
          make three bows and pull the futon down.
          roll in the bed—
          black.

A far bell coming closer

                                Gary Snyder

    
As you like Zen Center so much, you will easily be involved in a kind of self-centered idea. To think about only yourself is a self-centered idea, of course; but to think only about Zen Center is a kind of small mind. Zen Center is just a small speck of dust compared with big buddha land. As Dogen Zenji says in his “Fukanzazengi”: “If your purpose in zazen misses the point just a little bit, then the separation will be as great as heaven and earth.” Then our zazen will not make any sense. We should be able to give up Zen Center when it is not necessary.

Watermelons and Zen students
grow pretty much the same way.
Long periods of sitting
till they ripen and grow
all juicy inside, but
when you knock them on the head
to see if they’re ready—
sounds like nothing’s going on

Peter Levitt

New alien forum
http://www.aua.webeden.co.uk/