The Beardless Barbarian 無門關 四
A young child
has no beard.
In one dream
you are bearded
and awake clean shaven.
In one dream
you are clean shaven
and awake rubbing your long beard.
When you meet your dreams
and when your dreams meet you,
which is real, Wakuan asks.
Man Up a Tree 無門關 語
One armed monk
clings precariously
to the sagging limb
over the abyss.
Kyogen smiles, “Old man
you are starving
and soon
will be too weak
to grasp that branch.”
He places an apple
on the branch
for the old man.
“Your suffering
is completed.”
Buddha Holds Out a Flower 無門關 六
Shakyamuni
holds up a fading
lotus flower
and we sit silently
awaiting, not knowing
patient, afraid to smile
to move, to shift posture
mudra
one smiles,
dharma is transmitted,
the kensho
of yellowed teeth.
Wash Your Bowl 無門關 七
There is no stick, no shout
we go uninstructed
on a full stomach.
We do not see water
in the midst of an ocean.
We are given a sink
full of breakfast bowls, plates,
cups and spoons.
Handlessly we perform
our task and sit
to lunch with Joshu.