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Thread: ARTS: Ango/Jukai Poetry 2020

  1. #1

    ARTS: Ango/Jukai Poetry 2020

    Hello Everyone,

    The poetry subforum has been a bit quiet as of late, yet there has been some other poetry activity elsewhere in the forum. I can also tell from digging through older threads that there are quite few lurking poets around here.

    While I originally didn't plan on doing any special writing during Ango, I've quickly found that this period of intensive practice/study has inspired me to try and express some of my thoughts and experiences in verse. I can't help but think that others here may be doing the same.

    Therefore, I figured that I'd go out on a limb and start a new, thematic thread where we can all share our poetic musings that have been directly inspired by (or simply the indirect result of) our Ango practice and/or Jukai study. No judging or critiques—just open sharing and appreciation.

    If I may, I'd like to start by sharing a short, simple piece that was inspired by my additional bowing practice along with the recent Jukai readings on taking refuge.

    ---

    First Steps

    Namu Kie Butsu

    One and the same, I bow to Buddha
    One and the same, Buddha bows to me
    One and the same, bowing bows

    Namu Kie Butsu

    ---

    Please feel free to share some of your own work inspired by this intensive practice period. I can't wait to read more of everyone's work here!

    Gassho,
    Rob

    -stlah-


    (P.S. I strongly recommend reading all poetry in these forums using a standard web browser. The mobile app tends to ignore deliberate line/stanza spacing, which may affect the readability of a particular poem).

    Last edited by Jundo; 01-24-2021 at 02:34 AM.
    聖簡 Seikan (Sacred Simplicity)

  2. #2
    Member Onka's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Location
    Rural Queensland, so-called Australia
    Miss Red
    The message
    Reacted
    Redacted
    Myself
    From
    Miss Red
    Communication
    Again
    Again
    Again
    Miss Red
    Is not the problem
    Me?
    React
    Redact
    Again
    But why
    Must do better?
    Be better?
    Words without action
    Again
    Again
    Again.
    Sorry.

    Gassho
    Onka
    Sat today
    穏 On (Calm)
    火 Ka (Fires)
    They/She.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Onka View Post
    Miss Red
    The message
    Reacted
    Redacted
    Myself
    From
    Miss Red
    Communication
    Again
    Again
    Again
    Miss Red
    Is not the problem
    Me?
    React
    Redact
    Again
    But why
    Must do better?
    Be better?
    Words without action
    Again
    Again
    Again.
    Sorry.

    Gassho
    Onka
    Sat today

    Wonderful poem Onka! I really like the rhythm and tension in this. And I love your creative use the phrase "Miss Red". Very cool.

    Gassho,
    Rob

    -stlah-

  4. #4
    Here's an older piece that I've been re-working since Ango started:


    How to Care for Thoughts

    Fret over their every whim and whimper
    And you'll never get any rest
    Simply put them out to pasture
    Give them more room than they need
    Keep one eye gently upon them
    Let them run wild and free
    Soon they'll be exhausted
    And the field empty once more


    Gassho,
    Rob

    -stlah-

  5. #5
    What a great idea, thank you for starting this Rob, I'll enjoy reading.
    Gassho
    Meitou
    Sattoday lah
    命 Mei - life
    島 Tou - island

  6. #6
    Lovely poem, Rob!

    It reminds me of something Shunryu Suzuki said:

    “Even though you try to put people under control, it is impossible. You cannot do it. The best way to control people is to encourage them to be mischievous. Then they will be in control in a wider sense. To give your sheep or cow a large spacious meadow is the way to control him."

    -- Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind
    Gassho
    Kokuu
    -sattoday-

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Kokuu View Post
    Lovely poem, Rob!

    It reminds me of something Shunryu Suzuki said:



    Gassho
    Kokuu
    -sattoday-
    Thanks Kokuu! I've read "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" so many times that I'd be lying if I said that that passage didn't influence me in some way.

    Gassho,
    Rob

    -stlah-


    Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
    聖簡 Seikan (Sacred Simplicity)

  8. #8
    As I'm still sewing, this piece is a work in progress, but I wanted to share it as it currently stands as I think it may reflect what some others are also experiencing right now.


    Rakusu

    A glacial evolution
    Carving the new
    Out of the old

    All senses engaged
    Prick of the needle
    Taste of the thread

    Measure, mark, measure
    And cut
    No turning back

    Everywhere I turn
    Fabric inexhaustible
    I work it nonetheless

    Progress of no-progress
    On a collision course
    With myself

    Mirror of cotton
    Reflects no light
    Only the mind

    Each stitch
    A breath captured
    Preserved, recorded

    Cho meets Tan
    Gaze meets wall
    No difference

    Inside and outside
    Worlds collide
    One stitch at a time



    Gassho,
    Rob

    -stlah-

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by RobD View Post
    As I'm still sewing, this piece is a work in progress, but I wanted to share it as it currently stands as I think it may reflect what some others are also experiencing right now.


    Rakusu

    A glacial evolution
    Carving the new
    Out of the old

    All senses engaged
    Prick of the needle
    Taste of the thread

    Measure, mark, measure
    And cut
    No turning back

    Everywhere I turn
    Fabric inexhaustible
    I work it nonetheless

    Progress of no-progress
    On a collision course
    With myself

    Mirror of cotton
    Reflects no light
    Only the mind

    Each stitch
    A breath captured
    Preserved, recorded

    Cho meets Tan
    Gaze meets wall
    No difference

    Inside and outside
    Worlds collide
    One stitch at a time



    Gassho,
    Rob

    -stlah-
    Kaidō (皆道) Every Way
    Washin (和信) Harmony Trust
    ----
    I am a novice priest-in-training. Anything that I say must not be considered as teaching
    and should be taken with a 'grain of salt'.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by RobD View Post
    As I'm still sewing, this piece is a work in progress, but I wanted to share it as it currently stands as I think it may reflect what some others are also experiencing right now.


    Rakusu

    A glacial evolution
    Carving the new
    Out of the old

    All senses engaged
    Prick of the needle
    Taste of the thread

    Measure, mark, measure
    And cut
    No turning back

    Everywhere I turn
    Fabric inexhaustible
    I work it nonetheless

    Progress of no-progress
    On a collision course
    With myself

    Mirror of cotton
    Reflects no light
    Only the mind

    Each stitch
    A breath captured
    Preserved, recorded

    Cho meets Tan
    Gaze meets wall
    No difference

    Inside and outside
    Worlds collide
    One stitch at a time



    Gassho,
    Rob

    -stlah-
    I see myself in those words. Bowing to you my dear friend

    SatToday lah
    Bion
    -------------------------
    When you put Buddha’s activity into practice, only then are you a buddha. When you act like a fool, then you’re a fool. - Sawaki Roshi

  11. #11
    That is beautiful, Rob! A lovely expression of the process of sewing and practice.

    Just a wee tanka:

    this rushing wind
    with nowhere to go
    I pour another
    bowl of tea
    and listen to the rain



    Gassho
    Kokuu
    -sattoday-

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Kokuu View Post
    That is beautiful, Rob! A lovely expression of the process of sewing and practice.

    Just a wee tanka:

    this rushing wind
    with nowhere to go
    I pour another
    bowl of tea
    and listen to the rain



    Gassho
    Kokuu
    -sattoday-
    Thank you Kokuu. And your beautiful tanka is quite timely as we had rain and gusty winds this morning during breakfast. If I didn't know better, I'd think you lived just down the street.

    Gassho,
    Rob

    -stlah-

    Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
    聖簡 Seikan (Sacred Simplicity)

  13. #13
    A little Haiku for all:

    Towards the wall I sit;
    No sitting, no wall, no me--
    Ango once again.

    Gassho,
    Randy Ashburn

    Sattoday

  14. #14
    Member Yokai's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Havelock North, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
    Deep bows all for these profound moments

    Gassho, Chris satlah

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Ashburn View Post
    A little Haiku for all:

    Towards the wall I sit;
    No sitting, no wall, no me--
    Ango once again.

    Gassho,
    Randy Ashburn

    Sattoday
    Very nice Randy! Please do share more if you feel moved to.

    Gassho,
    Rob

  16. #16
    Hi all

    This is a small haibun which has just been published and was written in memory of a haiku writing friend in Texas who died last fall.


    Autumnal

    (for Jan Benson 1952-2019)

    She was sick but that is true for so many of my friends. Admittedly, the diagnoses sounded more final than chronic, but her energy for life continued to be so strong.

    One day she told me she had no more pictures of crows to send.

    I didn’t know that was her way of saying she was dying.

    grandmother moon
    the resilience
    of violets


    (Drifting Sands, Issue 3, September 2010: vhttps://drifting-sands-haibun.org/09/2020/autumnal/)


    Gassho
    Kokuu
    -sattoday-

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Kokuu View Post
    Hi all

    This is a small haibun which has just been published and was written in memory of a haiku writing friend in Texas who died last fall.


    Autumnal

    (for Jan Benson 1952-2019)

    She was sick but that is true for so many of my friends. Admittedly, the diagnoses sounded more final than chronic, but her energy for life continued to be so strong.

    One day she told me she had no more pictures of crows to send.

    I didn’t know that was her way of saying she was dying.

    grandmother moon
    the resilience
    of violets


    (Drifting Sands, Issue 3, September 2010: vhttps://drifting-sands-haibun.org/09/2020/autumnal/)


    Gassho
    Kokuu
    -sattoday-
    Kokuu,

    That is truly a beautiful tribute to your friend. What a wonderful way to remember her. Gassho2

    Gassho,
    Rob

    -stlah-


    Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
    聖簡 Seikan (Sacred Simplicity)

  18. #18
    Sleep Waking

    The house fast asleep, I drift out of bed
    Lured by the cool midnight breeze
    That lusty siren at my window

    The neighborhood sleeps as well, sedated
    By the anesthetic breath of Autumn
    Not a sleepwalker in sight

    Most nights the cricket symphony plays on
    Keeping the darkness alive
    But there is no performance tonight

    An odd quiet hangs upon the hour
    My ears plunge deep into the silence
    Only to return empty-handed

    Wrapped snug in the crisp night air
    I give my thoughts up to the night
    Where they dissolve on contact

    Such a pristine stillness
    Only clouds
    Brushing past the moon


    Gassho,
    Rob

    -stlah-

  19. #19
    Rob that is beautiful

    Gassho

    Risho
    -stlah

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by RobD View Post
    Sleep Waking

    The house fast asleep, I drift out of bed
    Lured by the cool midnight breeze
    That lusty siren at my window

    The neighborhood sleeps as well, sedated
    By the anesthetic breath of Autumn
    Not a sleepwalker in sight

    Most nights the cricket symphony plays on
    Keeping the darkness alive
    But there is no performance tonight

    An odd quiet hangs upon the hour
    My ears plunge deep into the silence
    Only to return empty-handed

    Wrapped snug in the crisp night air
    I give my thoughts up to the night
    Where they dissolve on contact

    Such a pristine stillness
    Only clouds
    Brushing past the moon


    Gassho,
    Rob

    -stlah-
    “Wrapped snug in the crisp night air
    I give my thoughts up to the night..”

    Loved that!

    SatToday
    Bion
    -------------------------
    When you put Buddha’s activity into practice, only then are you a buddha. When you act like a fool, then you’re a fool. - Sawaki Roshi

  21. #21
    Beautiful, Rob! I especially love these last lines:

    Such a pristine stillness
    Only clouds
    Brushing past the moon
    Gassho
    Kokuu
    -sattoday-

  22. #22
    Risho, Jake, Kokuu,

    Thank you all very much for your kind words. I'm glad that my work resonates with you.

    Gassho,
    Rob

    -stlah-

  23. #23
    As the Dust Rains Down

    Every bow
    A return to center
    Hands in gassho
    Head tipped in quiet surrender
    To what simply is

    Time slows to a crawl
    The moment resolves into focus
    All things hang in balance
    The relative and the absolute
    Dancing together in perfect step

    Infinity has no home
    But for itself
    No edges to be found
    The center lies everywhere

    It can never be lost
    It can only be found



    Gassho,
    Rob

    -stlah-
    Last edited by Seikan; 11-12-2020 at 05:37 AM.
    聖簡 Seikan (Sacred Simplicity)

  24. #24
    So much here!
    I dip my eyes and drink
    the nothing up.

    gassho shonin satlah
    Visiting unsui: use salt

  25. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Shōnin Risa Bear View Post
    So much here!
    I dip my eyes and drink
    the nothing up.

    gassho shonin satlah

    Beautiful!




    Gassho,
    Rob

    -stlah-

  26. #26
    Been working on this one lately, and Jundo's timely Dharma talk during tonight's Zazenkai inspired me to try and finish it.


    Bonds of Silence

    We talk too much
    The more we speak
    The more we disagree

    Words encircle us
    Lines drawn in the sand
    Inside versus outside

    We would do better
    Sitting in silence
    Beyond this labyrinth of words

    For in that moment
    Without a single syllable
    All is made clear

    The smallest gesture
    A subtle bow, a smile
    Unites us in eternity

    We need only listen
    To the gentle wisdom
    Of the softly falling snow


    Gassho,
    Rob

    -stlah

  27. #27
    Member Yokai's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2020
    Location
    Havelock North, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand
    Thank you Rob. Wonderful
    Gassho, Chris satlah

    Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

  28. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by RobD View Post
    Been working on this one lately, and Jundo's timely Dharma talk during tonight's Zazenkai inspired me to try and finish it.


    Bonds of Silence

    We talk too much
    The more we speak
    The more we disagree

    Words encircle us
    Lines drawn in the sand
    Inside versus outside

    We would do better
    Sitting in silence
    Beyond this labyrinth of words

    For in that moment
    Without a single syllable
    All is made clear

    The smallest gesture
    A subtle bow, a smile
    Unites us in eternity

    We need only listen
    To the gentle wisdom
    Of the softly falling snow


    Gassho,
    Rob

    -stlah
    Beautiful!!

    Gassho,
    Dee
    Sat / Lah

  29. #29
    Lovely, Rob!

    Gassho
    Kokuu
    -sattoday-

  30. #30
    Chris, Dee, Kokuu,

    Thank you all for your kind words. I'm so glad that the poem resonated with each of you in some way.

    Deep bows,
    Rob

    -stlah-

  31. #31
    I thought it was lovely too and very timely.

    Gassho,

    Heiso

    StLah

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