Todayand#8217;s FBA Dharmabyte is a lovely introduction to and#8220;Ryokanand#8217;s Poemsand#8221; from the inspiring talk by Padmavajra titled and#8220;Bliss Bestowing Hands.and#8221; Packed with poetry and typically robust Zen reflections, this talk makes sure we are left with a heightened sense of the present moment as our only ground of being. From the not-to-be-missed series and#8220;Tangling Eyebrows with Zen Masters.and#8221;
Dharmabytes from free buddhist audio
Ryokan’s Poems
[music] Dharma Bites is brought to you by Free Buddhist Audio, the Dharma for your life. Our work is funded entirely by donations from our generous listeners. If you would like to help us keep this free, make a contribution at freebuddhistaudio.com/donate. Thank you, and happy listening. And perhaps this is most vividly expressed in the life of Vljorkan, the great Japanese poet. Hugely popular poet, I think even now in Japan, but also a great Zen master. He lived in the late 18th and early 19th century. There's a wanderer, a hermit, a poet, a Zen master. And in his poetry, there's a beautiful blend of the human, the ordinary, the profound, the sublime, the playful, the simple. He loved to play games with the village children who would often tease him. He'd go and talk to a local farmer down the mountain and get wonderfully drunk on sake with him. And at the end of his life, there's this very touching, platonic love affair he has with a nun, very, very touching relationship. He wrote poetry for each other. And running through it all, there's this sense of space, of emptiness, of purity, impermanence, celebration. And it's ordinary. I'm just going to read you a few poems I picked out from the translations by Burton Watson, which are very, very good indeed. The rain has stopped, the clouds have drifted away, and the weather is clear again. If your heart is pure, then all things in your world are pure. Abandon this fleeting world, abandon yourself, then the moon and flowers will guide you along the way. Fresh morning snow in front of the shrine, the trees, are they white with peach blossoms or white with snow? The children and I joyfully throw snowballs. I sit quietly, listening to the falling leaves, a lonely hut, a life of renunciation, the past has faded, things are no longer remembered, my sleeve is wet with tears. A thousand peaks covered with frozen snow, ten thousand mountain paths, yet no sign of human beings, every day, only Zazen, sometimes the sound of snow blowing against the window. Since I came to this hermitage, how many years have passed, I am tired and stretched out my feet. If I feel fine, I go for a stroll in the mountains. The ridicule or praise of worldly people means nothing. Following my destiny, for this body I have received from my parents, I have only thanks. Walking along a narrow path at the foot of a mountain, I come to an ancient cemetery filled with countless tombstones and thousand-year-old oaks and pines. The day is ending with a lonely, plaintive wind. The names on the tombs are completely faded, and even the relatives have forgotten who they were. Choked with tears, unable to speak, I take my staff and return home. Zen master Yokan, like a fool, like a dunce, body and mind completely dropped off, and his famous haiku. The thief left it behind, the moon, at the window. So there you have some Ryokan, moving through the world with bliss bestowing hands, a different kind of master. There is no one way of moving through the world. Some masters are very austere, very strict and dynamic, like Lin Chi, like chu chao, chu chu. Others, like Dogen, they are very refined, very contemplative, this very contemplative monastic life. And then his harque wind, earthy, outspoken, his writings really laying into bad practice. And there is Ryokan, moving with the seasons, moving with the impermanence of the world, the floating world, playful, filled with emotion. We hope you enjoyed today's Dharma Bite. Please help us keep this free. Make a contribution at freebuddhistaudio.com/donate. And thank you. [ sub by sk cn2 ] [BLANK_AUDIO]