an old writer and his words

  • Joshu’s Oak 無門關 三十七

    Look out of the windowthe garden is barrenof oaks, nor is thisa Temple in China. If you listen carefullya thousand branchesbend quietly in the wind,a simple wave washingoak leaves ontoexpectant soil. A reflection on case 37 of the Mumonkan (Gateless Gate)

    Lou Faber

  • Fuketsu’s Speech and Silence 無門關 二十四

    Inward but not outwarda broken stick Outward but no inwarda broken stick A partridge singsin silenceflowers bloomat midnight Fuketsu smiles knowingly. A reflection on case 24 of the Mumonkan (Gateless Gate)

    Lou Faber

  • CATHEDRAL

    Images inviting tears,ancient steeples falling,the evening sky uplitby flames dancing devilishly. They all say it cannot happenthat we must stop it, thatwe are powerless to actin defense of a symbol to the omnipotent, the allknowing, who dare not intervene,for our tributes are only that,beautiful offerings never requested or required, and moreto appease our consciencebut we…

    Lou Faber

  • BROKEN TRAY 鐵笛倒吹 九十

    If you accidentally breaka wise man’s possessiondo you leave himwith one that is incompleteor two awaiting completion. If he asks you to replace ityou may search endlessly,bring him a thousand replacementsbut expect him to reject each oneas never being the sameas the original.If you grow dejected, rememberhe still has the originalin the cupboard. A reflection…

    Lou Faber

  • JOSHU MEASURE THE WATER

    When your mind is ragingthoughts flowing, eddyingwhen you enter the zendowhat do you do in sitting? Do you take your stickand measure the waterto insure a safe fording,or do you sit amid the streamand let the floodwash over and around youdry and silent within? A reflection on case 47 of the Iron Flute Koans

    Lou Faber

  • DUGO AND UNGAN MEET

    When your mind is ragingthoughts flowing, eddyingwhen you enter the zendowhat do you do in sitting? Do you take your stickand measure the waterto insure a safe fording,or do you sit amid the streamand let the floodwash over and around youdry and silent within? A reflection on Case 36 of the Iron Flute Koans

    Lou Faber

  • A MOMENT

    He would be the first to admitthat he hated most things avant-gardeparticularly when it appliedto either art or music.It was simply a matter of beingin the moment, and he knewyou could not be ahead of timefor there was only the momentin which you were in.

    Lou Faber

  • FAITH FULL

    It’s a question of faith.You have to have someeven if you doubt it, in factyour doubt is proof you have faithif only in doubt, for you knowyou cannot prove doubt,you just cling to itas a matter of faith.Your faith need not be religiousthough much of faith is,it can be philosophicalor whimsical if you prefer.It can…

    Lou Faber

  • NOT TWICE

    It is said that you can never go home againpresuming, of course, that you have left at some point.The fallacy of this statement is apparent,for there is often nothing preventing your return.What would make the statement accurateis that you can never go home againto exactly the same home you leftfor your leaving alters the place…

    Lou Faber

  • YOKUSAN’S LECTURE 鐵笛倒吹 六十三

    If you go to a lecture and listen carefully will you become wise? If you go to a hundred lectures are you a hundred times wiser? Where did the teacher find wisdom, did he sit in endless lectures. Watch him most carefully is he not wise with sleeping, and when eating, when he walks to…

    Lou Faber