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ROBE
Robe of liberationembodiment of emptinessin prescribed formonce Brahmin garbtattered strips of clothcarefully stitched togetherstitches made, pulledand resewn, bitsof dharma wornover the heartwanting silencebeneath the Bodhi treeawaiting the bell,the dawn,the triple recitation,the three prostrationsBuddhas and BuddhasIn waiting, abidingfailure and compassion.
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JOSHU’S BOWL-WASHING
When you sit before your teacherhe may ask you a simple question,why, perhaps, your robeis not tied, why, perhaps,your posture is slumping.If you sit and answer,he will dismiss you, butif you stand and tie your robe,sit down in a good posturehe will give you gasshoand send you on your path. A reflection on Case 39…
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UNKNOWABLE
How often have wesat in pews, on the zafuand heard an enrobedman or woman say“Let me describe for you”that which cannot bedescribed, that whichis beyond mere words. We would be better servedto just sit in silenceand hear deeply whatwe need, not empty wordsmeant to lead, to mislead,for you God does not speakand you cannot claim…
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COMING BACK
He appears, rising from the horizonthe sun at his back, as if a miragetaking physical shape and form. He approaches slowly, your eyesstraining to separate himfrom the sun’s growing glow. You wonder if his is a holy manrobed and with a staff, walkingto announce his long awaited return. As he grows closer, you realizehe is…
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NOT YET
The man walked into the old dinerlooking not at all happy,dressed in what looked likea white robe he found in some alley. He ordered coffee and glancedaround, as if seeking onefamiliar face, finding manythat looked like that of his father, like him,for that matter, and he knewfrom this quick glance thatthey were not yet ready,…
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KASHYAPA’S FLAGPOLE 無門關 二十二
Kashyapa’s golden robetake it up if you want. It won’t fit at all wellKnock down the flagpoleor, if you wantjust eat the flag. A reflection on case 22 of the Mumonkan (The Gateless Gate)
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Think Neither Good Nor Evil 無門關 二十三
A robe is infinitely heavy, the mountain weighs less than a feather you can move neither but the you before you carries both like a breath. A reflection on Case 23 of the Mumonkan (the Gateless Gate Koans)
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WHEN THE BELL SOUNDS
Does coyote come down the mountain, or does the mountain rise up under coyote? Do either hear the sound of the Temple bell? Pull on the robe against the heat, tie tight the obi to be freed of the leash. A reflection on case 16 of the Mumonkan (Gateless Gate)
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RAKUSU
The last stitch is sewn, the loose threads trimmed, the pincushioned fingers are swaddled in bandages, bits of brown thread plucked from sofa, rug and shirt. It is done, save for every other stitch you now want to pull and resew, the mocking voice of the needle convincing you otherwise. All that is left is…
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an old writer and his words 