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Something has existed
Before heaven and earth;
Shapeless and silent
In its origin,
Yet the master of
Every image and form,
It can never wither
With the passing of time.

~ Bankei (1622-1693)

there are lessons i must learn
and lessons i must learn and learn again
thank you, murshid, for the lessons




In the realm of True Purity, there is no such thing as “I” or “He” or “She,” nor can “friend” or “foe” be found there.
But the slightest confusion of mind brings innumerable differences and complications.

Peace and disorder in the world, the distinction between friend and foe in human relationships,
follow upon one another as illusion begets delusion.
A person of spiritual insight will immediately recognize what is wrong and before long rid themselves of such an illusion.

~ Muso Kokushi (1275-1351)

Don’t you know that afflictions are
Nothing more than wisdom,
But to cling to your afflictions
Is nothing more than foolishness:
As they rise and then melt away again,
You must remember this
The sparrow hawk flies through Silla
Without anyone noticing.

~ Benming

My doctrine is to think the thought that is unthinkable,
to practice the deed that is non-doing,
to speak the speech that is inexpressible,
and to be trained in the discipline that is beyond discipline.

Those who understand this are near;
those who are confused are far.
The Way is beyond words and expressions,
is bound by nothing earthly.
Lose sight of it to an inch,
or miss it for a moment,
and we are away from it.

Sutra of Forty Two Chapters

The hermit doesn’t sleep at night
In love with the blue of the vacant moon.
The cool of the breeze
That rustles the trees
Rustles her too.

~ Ching An (1851-1912)

October 02
As we work the first nine Steps, we prepare ourselves for the adventure of a new life. But when we approach Step Ten we commence to put our A.A. way of living to practical use, day by day, in fair weather or foul. Then comes the acid test: can we stay sober, keep in emotional balance, and live to good purpose under all conditions?

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 88

I know the Promises are being fulfilled in my life, but I want to maintain and develop them by the daily application of Step Ten.

I have learned through this Step that if I am disturbed, there is something wrong with me.

The other person may be wrong too, but I can only deal with my feelings. When I am hurt or upset, I have to continually look for the cause in me, and then I have to admit and correct my mistakes. It isn't easy, but as long as I know I am progressing spiritually, I know that I can mark my effort up as a job well done. I have found that pain is a friend; it lets me know there is something wrong with my emotions, just as a physical pain lets me know there is something wrong with my body. When I take the appropriate action through the Twelve Steps, the pain gradually goes away.
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i confront my insanity and the world's insanity daily
the crazy does not change
the promises tell me the pain will subside
i await relief

The path to the meditation hall
Is steep and perilous;
I look back to view
The upper watershed.
A woodcutter’s trail links
All the peaks;
A boulder-choked creek
Flows through bamboo.

In deep woods,
The snow still lingers;
In foothills,
Gibbons have not yet cried.
Desiring to part from
The bitterness in the world,
I seek some words
From the Master.

~ Chia Tao (779-843)

Vibrating within
The ear are many voices
But their origin
Has a source which may be called
The sound of no sound.

~ Takuan (1573-1645)

Nock the arrow of emptiness
To shoot the hawk of ultimate meaning;
If you’re not right on target,
You will be deceived by this barbarian monk.

~ Fugai Ekun (1568-1654)

Yearning for friends in my rocky cave,
I am captivated by the singing of small birds;
The wind entering deep into the grotto
Mingles with the voice of the stream.
Awakening from a dream,
This hermit exists beyond the world.
A quiet life, off by myself,
Fulfills my spirit.

~ Fugai Ekun (1568-1654)

Searching for words,
Hunting for phrases,
When will it end?
Esteeming knowledge
And gathering information
Only maddens the spirit.
Just entrust yourself
To your own nature,
Empty and illuminating
Beyond this,
I have nothing to teach.

~ Bankei Yotaku (1622-1693)

Within the water
Is the entire world;
There is nothing in its depths
But reflections of mountains and rivers.
A fish breaks the surface
And then disappears again.
What need is there to borrow
The wind and thunder?

~ Ingen (1592-1673)

If you understand the answer clearly,
There was no Buddha before you
And there is no Buddha to come.

~ Mumon

October 11
Our first objective will be the development of self-restraint.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 91

My drive to work provides me with an opportunity for self-examination. One day while making this trip,
I began to review my progress in sobriety, and was not happy with what I saw.
I hoped that, as the work day progressed, I would forget these troublesome thoughts,
but as one disappointment after another kept coming, my discontent only increased,
and the pressures within me kept mounting.

I retreated to an isolated table in the lounge, and asked myself how I could make the most of the rest of the day.
In the past, when things went wrong, I instinctively wanted to fight back.
But during the short time I had been trying to live the A.A. program I had learned to step back and take a look at myself.
I recognized that, although I was not the person I wanted to be, I had learned to not react in my old ways.
Those old patterns of behavior only brought sorrow and hurt, to me and to others.
I returned to my work station, determined to make the day a productive one, thanking God for the chance to make progress that day.




i've lived this, and lived thru this, i have more living to do

Words cannot express things;
Speech does not convey the spirit.
Swayed by words, one is lost;
Blocked by phrases, one is bewildered.

~ Mumon