A fool may say
I have been many places
in search of true Zen
and have found it here
and there, go look.
The feet of the fool
have been all
of those places
but have the wisdom
to stay silent.
Iron Flute
TOKUSAN SPEAKS OF TEACHERS 鐵笛倒吹 二十
Why do you seek old Masters,
they have no special gift.
Your lineage is
the surface of the sea
never still, all waves.
Your teacher has no answers,
his silence instructs
close your ears and listen,
is that his breath you hear
or only your own?
In is out, out is in
depending on where you sit.
A reflection on case 20 of the Iron Flute Koans.
TOZAN’S ADVICE 鐵笛倒吹 七十七
If I tell you there is
a still more precious gem
will you ask “what is it?”
If I respond “it is not a diamond:
what will you do then?
The wealthy fool
will throw off his rings
and begin a futile search.
Are you such a fool,
or do you look inside
secure in knowing
the greatest gem
lies waiting within.
A reflection on Case 77 of the Iron Flute Koans
SOZAN’S FOUR DON’TS 鐵笛倒吹 九十二
You may seek to follow
the path of the dove,
for a fool knows many roads.
You may wrap yourself
in fine linen, an infant
wears only his skin
and knows this moment
is already gone.
Think long before you speak
of how to walk
along the path, of where it leads.
The baby says nothing,
will not speak of where
he has been,
where he is going, for to him
there is only here,
and silence
is descriptive enough.
A reflection on Case 92 of The Iron Flute koans.
GYOZAN DRAWS A LINE 鐵笛倒吹 八十三
At the end
of a long day of discourse
the teacher may ask the student
what have you learned.
How should the student respond.
The student may raise a finger
and trace a line
in the air of a fading day.
Which, I ask you
is the teacher
and which
is the student?
A reflection on Case 83 of The Iron Flute
A MONK IN MEDITATION 鐵笛倒吹 七十語
A man may own
may volumes of great knowledge
and never have time to read.
An illiterate may take such books
and fashion a stool
on which to sit in meditation.
Which of these is truly wise
which the greatest fool.
Wipe your mouth
with this page
at the conclusion
of the meal.
A reflection on Case 75 of the Iron Flute.
YAKUSAN’S LAKE 鐵笛倒吹 八十八
When you travel from home
and are asked if the lake
on the shore of which you live
is now full, what
can you say.
Will you speak of the rains
that soaked your fields
and what of the herd
of water buffalo
come to graze
since you have left.
The eye sees only now
the mind sees history
and the wise man
sees nothing.
A reflection on Case 88 of the Iron Flute koans.
