Portrait of Dogen Viewing the Moon

*Poem on the portrait written by Dogen in 1249.

Fresh, clear spirit covers old mountain man this autumn.
Donkey stares at the sky ceiling; glowing white moon floats.
Nothing approaches. Nothing else included.
Bouyant, I let myself go-filled with gruel, filled with rice.
Lively flapping from head to tail,
Sky above, sky beneath, cloud self, water origin.

On Zazen Practice by Dogen

The moon
abiding in the midst of
serene mind;
billows break
into light.

* Dogen teaches; Zazen is not merely a method by which one reaches awakening, but is itself awakening.

One inch bellow the mind

Tectonic vibrations
shaking the chest
Echoing nymph
in the cave of sound
Gasping for air,
breath stuck in the throat
Clenching the aversion
in the dying fist.

Down in the core
of the gathering world
Slowly like a saw,
breathing cutting through
Piles of slow-motion
seen by the withness
Flooding sensations
are lifting the skull.

A Poem by Dogen

Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water.
The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken.
Although its light is wide and great,
The moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide.
The whole moon and the entire sky
Are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.

The Zen Poetry of Dogen - Verses from the Mountain of Eternal Peace

Drifting pitifully in the whirlwind of birth and death,
As if wandering in a dream,
In the midst of illusion I awaken to the true path;
There is one more matter I must not neglect,
But I need not bother now,
As I listen to the sound of the evening rain
Falling on the roof of my temple retreat
In the deep grass of Fukakusa.

From: The Zen Poetry of Dogen: Verses from the Mountain of Eternal Peace

Falling into Flying

Slight push
Off the edge
In thin air

Tumbling down
In circles
Falling body

Pulling down
Into the void
In this dream

On and on falling
Turns into flying
There is no ground

Dogen Quote

Those who see worldly life as an obstacle to Dharma see no Dharma in everyday actions; they have not discovered that there are no everyday actions outside of Dharma.

Dogen Zenji (1200 - 1253)