How many years I spent parting the wild grasses
to penetrate the inmost depths
Then suddenly I understood my teacher
and came back to my native place
You go there and come back again
yet everything remains the same
Clouds covering the mountain summit
streams flowing by at your feet
Poem by Zen Master and Hermit Recluse,
RYOKAN
This poem was written in the early 1800’s by Ryokan. He had already received transmission from his teacher. This poem has particular significance. Let’s examine closely….
“How many years I spent parting the wild grasses to penetrate the inmost depths”
Commentary:
All of us begin this journey with a sincere question but through habit, over and over try to seek the mind with the mind. It is like trying to wash off blood with blood. The linear, discursive nature of our thought process embedded since childhood erroneously attempts to pin down, corner, and then subjugate a certain mind state. From there, the approach to spirituality, calm, equanimity, spaciousness, etc. is fixated on an outward approach.
“Then suddenly I understood my teacher and came back to my native place.”
Commentary:
This native place has no exterior address! It is not some pristine mountain setting replete with flowing streams, tall pines, and granite rock formations. The true native place alluded to in this poem is your “before thinking” mind. When you think and I think, our minds are different. However, your before thinking mind and my before thinking mind is our true substance, and indeed is universal substance. Everything appears from emptiness, manifests for a certain time frame, then returns back to this emptiness. As the Heart Sutra instructs us: “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.”
“You go there and come back again yet everything remains the same”
Commentary:
During meditation, the absolute presents itself from time to time in wondrous ways. Sometimes brief, sometimes lasting awhile, whether macrocosm or microcosm, each manifests with an almost intoxicating presence. When this happens, we all want to stay there, but alas, Bodhidharma’s family tradition is stated simply: “How may I help you?” Coming back again and again to each task and situation in our day to day life often referred to as moment mind is our liberation from the trappings of an I, my, me, ego reference that for most humans is a daunting task master.
“Clouds covering the mountain summit, streams flowing by at your feet.”
Commentary:
Sky is blue, trees are green, spring comes, grass grows by itself. When accepting the ceremonial five precepts in the Kwan Um School of Zen, a certificate is presented that contains the following phrase: “Outside the door is the land of stillness and light.” This means that each moment has it’s own precision and intelligence. One by one, each thing has it. One by one, each thing is complete. It and dust interpenetrate.
Ji Haeng Zen Master – Desert Dragon