How to pick a tree
that one can be resigned
to sit under until
Enlightenment?
If the choice is hard,
you are not ready.
If the choice is easy,
you are not ready.
If there is no choice,
perhaps, you're ready.
Walking the ruins
of some old Buddhist
university,
I entered a chamber,
and found myself
confronting a Buddha,
its head obscured by
a bolt of sunlight.
I thought it might be like
one of those Angkor Wat
crop tops from when Pol Pot
had the heads chopped off
all the Buddhas to make
some quick cash.
But the head was intact,
just blotted out by blinding light,
and I blinked my way into sight
of that serene face.
There is much to admire, though, in a dedicated recluse.
Kenkō Yoshida, Essays in Idleness (No. 1)
Going on a journey, whatever the destination, makes you feel suddenly awake and alive to everything.
Kenkō Yoshida, Essays in IdleNess (No. 15)
You can find solace for all things by looking at the moon.
Kenkō Yoshida, Essays in Idleness (no. 21)
Something left not quite finished is very appealing, a gesture toward the future.
Kenkō Yoshida, Essays in Idleness (No. 82)
It’s in easy places that mistakes will always occur.
Kenkō Yoshida, Essays in Idleness (No. 109)
CITATION: Kenkō Yoshida & Kamo no Chōmei. 2013. Kenkō and Chōmei: Essays in Idleness and Hōjōki. London: Penguin. 206pp.
drawing by Kikuchi Yōsai
On flows the river ceaselessly, nor does its water ever stay the same.
Kamo no Chōmei, Hōjōki
No one owns a splendid view, so nothing prevents the heart’s delight in it.
Kamo no Chōmei, Hōjōki
Knowing what the world holds and its ways, I desire nothing from it, nor chase after its prizes. My one craving is to be at peace; my one pleasure is to live free from troubles.
Kamo no Chōmei, Hōjōki
These days, I divide myself into two uses — these hands are my servants, these feet my transport.
Kamo no Chōmei, Hōjōki
When I chance to go down to the capital, I am ashamed of my lowly beggar status, but once back here again I pity those who chase after the sordid rewards of the world.
Kamo no Chōmei, Hōjōki
Reference: Saigyō Hōshi, Kamo no Chōmei, Yoshida Kenkō. 2021. Three Japanese Buddhist Monks. New York: Penguin Books. 112pp.
Available Here
Buddha statue: what would its reflection in my eyes look like?
St. Joseph’s Church on Wanfujing Street (a.k.a. Wanfujing Church / Dongtang); Roman Catholic
Lama Temple (a.k.a. Yonghe Temple); Tibetan Buddhist (i.e. Vajrayana Buddhist)
Beijing Temple of Confucius; Confucian
footprints in stone -- outside the temple; how do Buddhists step so hard?
Tiger Riding for Beginners 