Mountain Seclusion
I won't even stop
at the valley's brook
for fear that
my shadow
may flow into the world.
Bowing Formally
A snowy heron
on the snowfield
where winter grass is unseen
hides itself
in its own figure.
Viewing Peach Blossoms
and Realizing the Way
In spring wind
peach blossoms
begin to come apart
Doubts do not grow
branches and leaves.
On Nondependence of Mind
Water birds
going and coming
their traces disappear
but they never
forget their path.
The Body Born Before the Parents
The village
I finally reach
deeper than the deep mountains
indeed
the capital
where I used to live!
On the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye
Where recede.
Not even the wind ties up
a small abandoned boat.
The moon is a clear
mark of moonlight
______________________________
Eihei Dogen (1200-1253)
translated by Brian Unger
and Kazuaki Tanahashi
| 5-15 Shihi, Eiheiji-chō, Yoshida District, Fukui Prefecture, JAPAN |
