golden dorje

Poems by Ryokan

golden dorje

Two Poems by Ryokan

Dzogchen is not Zen, but Ryokan

Too Lazy

Too lazy to be ambitious
I let the world take care of itself;

Ten days' worth of rice in my bag
a bundle of twigs by the fireplace
why chatter about delusion and enlightenment?

Listening to the night rain on my roof,
I sit comfortably, with both legs stretched out.

and another ...

My life may appear melancholy,
But traveling through this world
I have entrusted myself to Heaven.

In my sack, three quarts of rice;
By the hearth, a bundle of firewood.

If someone asks what is the mark of
enlightenment or illusion
I cannot say -
wealth and honor are nothing but dust.

As the evening rain falls
I sit in my hermitage
And stretch out both feet in answer.

(translated by John Stevens)

And a haiku from Basho...

old pond, a frog jumps in, the sound of water.

Sarva Mangalam!
May all beings be happy!