Roshi Daniel Terragno shared this poem written by David Rutschman during his Dharma talk.

I Was Reading A Poem

BY DAVID RUTSCHMAN • OCTOBER 2017

I was reading a poem by Ryōkan about a leaf, and how it showed the front and the back as it fell, and I wanted to call someone — my wife, my brother — to tell about the poem.

And I thought that maybe my telling about the poem was the front of the leaf and my silence about the poem was the back.

And then I thought that maybe my telling and my silence together were honestly just the front of the leaf, and that the back was something else, something I didn’t understand.

And then I thought that maybe everything I understood and everything I didn’t were both actually just the front of the leaf — so that the totality of my life was actually just the front of the leaf, just the one side — which would make the other side my death. . . .

Unless my life and death together were really still only the front of the leaf?

I had left the branch. I was falling.

I was loose now in the bright autumn air.

Rocks and Clouds Zendo was fortunate to be with Neti who shared a Dharma Talk Wednesday evening

Here this is for all :

Neti Mushkin Parekh is the founding Reverend of the at the Twining Vines Zen Centre, Katto-an Temple, Canberra, Australia

Join us at 7 p.m. Wednesday Night Meditation and Dharma Talk via ZOOM:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/ Email to request the meeting passcode at rocksandclouldszen@gmail.com

1/1/2022

Hello All,

Welcoming today and greeting each day a new and taking the opportunity to share one of Dogen Zenji’s Jodo ( Dharma Hall Discourse) on the first day of the year from Eihei Koroku (Dogen‘s Extensive Record);

Today is the beginning of a new year [1241], and also a day with three mornings. I say three mornings because it is the beginning of the year, beginning of the month, and the beginning of the day.
Here is a story. A monk asked Jingqing Daofu, “Is there Buddha Dharma at the beginning of the new year or not?”
Jingqing said, “There is.”
The monk asked, “What is the Buddha Dharma at the beginning of the new year?”
Jingqing said, “New Year’s Day begins with a blessing, and the ten thousand things are completely new.”
The monk said, “Thank you, teacher, for your answer.”
Jingqing said, “This old monk today lost the advantage.”
A monk asked Mingjiao Zhimen Shikuan, “Is there Buddha Dharma
at the beginning of the new year, or not?”
Mingjiao said, “There is not.”
The monk said, “Every year is a good year, every day is a good day; why isn’t there [Buddha Dharma in the beginning of the new year]?”
Mingjiao said, “Old man Zhang drinks, and old man Li gets drunk.”
The monk said, “Great Elder, [you are like] a dragon’s head and snake’s tail.”
Mingjiao said, “This old monk today lost the advantage.”
The teacher Dogen said: [Both teachers] say the same, “This old monk today lost the advantage.”
Hearing such a story many people say, “These are good stories about [teachers] losing advantage [in a dialogue].” This mountain monk [Dogen] does not at all agree. Although Jingqing and Mingjiao speak of one loss, they do not yet see one gain. Suppose somebody were to ask me, Kosho, if there is Buddha Dharma at the beginning of the new year, or not.

 July 13 is the “birthday” in the Chinese Buddhist festival calendar for remembrance of Mahasthamaprata Bodhisattva.

“Ta-Shih-Chi P’usa is one of the two main Bodhisattvas of Pure Land Buddhism. Her Sanskrit name is Mahasthamaprata Bodhisattva which means ‘one who has attained great strength’ and is therefore often called the Bodhisattva of Universal Strength. She is an attribute of Amitabha Buddha, representing his Wisdom just as Kuan Shih Yin is his compassionate aspect. She earned her rank of Bodhisattvahood in the distant past through the practice of reciting the name of the Buddha of that period of time. When Amitabha became a Buddha, she and Kuan Shih Yin became his disciples and thus were responsible in welcoming the faithful of the Buddha to his Pure Land at the time of their death.

“The Shurangama Sutra states that in time to come “when Amitabha Buddha retires as the teaching host of the Pure Land, Kuan Shih Yin will take over the responsibility. When it is time for Kuan Shih Yin to retire as Lord of the Pure Land, Ta Shih Chi P’usa will be her successor….”

“Ta Shih Chi P’usa is said to be so powerful that whenever she raises her hand or moves any part of her body, the earth will quake and tremble. Although she is a very popular Bodhisattva to the Chinese, she has not found as many devotees as Kuan Shih Yin, and it is extremely difficult to find a temple dedicated solely in her honor. She is normally worshiped in the Triad with Amitabha Buddha and Kuan Shih Yin Bodhisattva and pictures of them together are commonly found in homes of the Pure Land Buddhists. Those who wish to form a karmic link with her should daily spend a few minutes contemplating on her and request for “wisdom and strength in cultivation” or mind-fully holding her name through the recitation of: “Namo Ta-Shih-Chi P’usa”

Daniel has been reading from the book Zen Sourcebook, on previous wednesdays and during the Memorial Weekend Sesshin, focusing on Chapter 9 with poems from Chinese nuns. 

These poems can be found here: https://www.hackettpublishing.com/zen-sourcebook

Here is one that stood out:

Don’t you know that afflictions are nothing more than wisdom,But to cling to 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!

Don’t you know that afflictions are nothing more than wisdom.And that the purest of blossoms emerges from the mire?If someone were to come and ask me what I do:After eating my gruel and rice, I wash my bowl.Don’t worry about a thing!

Don’t worry about a thing!You may play all day like a silly child in the sand by the sea,But you must always realize the truth of your original face!When you suffer the blows delivered by the patriarchs’ staff,If you can’t say anything, you will perish by the staff,
If you can say something, you will perish by the staff.In the end, what will you do If you are forbidden to travel by night but must arrive by dawn?

~Pen-Ming (early 12th century

The Guest

Kabir

Previously Daniel shared this poem by Antonio Machado translated by Robert Bly:

Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that a spring was breaking
out in my heart.
I said: Along which secret aqueduct,
Oh water, are you coming to me,
water of a new life
that I have never drunk?

Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
here inside my heart.
And the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
from my old failures.

Last night as I was sleeping,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that a fiery sun was giving
light inside my heart.
It was fiery because I felt
warmth as from a hearth,
and sun because it gave light
and brought tears to my eyes.

Last night as I slept,
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that it was God I had
here inside my heart.

This is an excerpt from a recent Wednesday night Dharma Talk offered by Daniel Terragno Roshi.

Dear Boddhisatvas,

What a year it has been for The World, for all of us. Loss and uncertainty have been our companions, and with this a certain re-imagining of what our lives could be.  Throughout this time the importance and the presence of our Practice has been active and significant for most, if not all,  of us, and so I find tremendous gratitude in my Heart; Brother David Steindal-Rast reminds us, “Gratitude is the measure of our aliveness”.

The new changes that are coming in our worlds in 2021 are a bit unclear, and yet Bodhisattvas we have a certain clarity with our Practice  and a trust that we can continue in the midst of these changes. I am very grateful to all of you for your continuous support as we meet on-line and companionship. It is good to have companions to walk this Path!

And as Torei Zenji,  Bodhisattva’s Vow ending words say:

“May we share this Mind with all beings
so that we and the world together
may grow in Buddha’s wisdom”

New years Eve Day, 2020
Rocks & Clouds Zendo

Daniel