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Poetry Selections

Poems by Yin Ming Shakya

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Category: Poetry
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Sesshin Snapshots

Early morning hush, candles flicker
Lights glint from Buddha figures and
Pictures of ancestors
Incense smoke curls
In currents and eddies
Subtly coloring the air
As we prepare to meet ourselves
In the silence of shared breath

At dawn
The nightingale sings
A chorus of flowers bloom
Chanting sounds
Rhythmic and clear
Our bodies and voices resonant

Rice gruel steaming
Ladle after ladle
Hot tea soothing
We wash our bowls
With pickles and wooden sticks
Then go to work

Okusama's Garden
A snail stuck on the green gate
The dead spider sways slightly from his gossamer thread
White wisteria blossoms fall thru fragrance
In the gentle breeze
Of this late afternoon

Life is a dance
The voice of the Dharma
Dancing and singing
Joy overflows
Even hindrances
Are swallowed
By practice made clear
Love is.

 

Prison time
Bars clang
Men in white
Cameras watching
The breath
My lifeline
Jizo walks the six realms
Kannon adjusts her pillow in the dark
Fear and courage
Mental constructs
Released
This moment
Takes care of itself.

 

Ordination!
Page 16, All Chinese
Wow, HA

Chanting, bells,
Bow- Stand- Kneel
Bow- Stand- Kneel some more
And more...
Beautiful altar
Incense aloft

Vowing to uphold the Dharma-
Becoming Homeless and
Donning Buddha's Robe
What responsiblity and weight
Yet also,
And more importantly,
Total liberation's peace

Midnight, we're still on the road
Exhausted and sighing we drive on.
The full moon shine's on the mountains
How beautiful~