There are moments
that fall into my hands.
Like flowers from the sky.
The future does not
come with them.
The past does not change.
Once they would pass me by
and I would not notice.
Like a summer breeze
or winter snow flurry.
They were useless
with my cluttered mind.
Hundreds of thousands of flowers
and millions of snowflakes.
I could not tell the seasons.
Then, I began to free my
mind of idle thoughts.
Pushing out the vain
and dark clouds .
And there I was.
In the best seasons of my life.
With everything outside of my mind.

Before the coffee was made.
I had written a hundred
words of poetry.
Rendered tomorrows
classes into speech.
Burned incense,
and closed my eyes.
Until the way came back to me.
And I was satisfied.
That my thirst was quenched.
At least until I drank the coffee.
All the way down to the beautiful
mountains and the beautiful seas.

​

​
​The evening gathers.
The first bright
blur of winter.
At this moment.
I am walking alone.
On the streets of Hangzhou.
Only thinking…..
How fleeting everything is.
​

I slept and dreamt
that life was sad.
Full of abandoned
houses and empty streets.
The sun was hot
and there was no shade.
It would have been
easy to leave this world.
But I choose to live a life of
knowledge and action.
Not a life of dreams or fantasy.
So,I will not worry
about such dark dreams.
Or look for definite answers.
Just more knowledge regarding
the rhythm of all things.

​

​What are these days?
For some, a few
words scratched in hope.
For others, saying each day
“I will never feel the pain”.
As my white face fades.
I will still try not to
read between the lines.
And most certainly,
do my best to
address the effort
in the heart of things.

Silence, stillness, and solitude.
Meet me there when you can.
The flowers will sprout.
My spirit will widen.
And a single vastness will appear.
Then, the way and
its superb surprise.
Will be clear for all to see.
​

​
​I saw the setting sun
​in Hangzhou today.
​Alive as you and me.
​I remembered the Buddha said,
​”Make of yourself a light”.
​But, I am not seeking a light.
​I just walk, write,
drink coffee and teach.
​And address anything else
​that happens to fall into my hands.
​How miraculous is this!

By heavy showers of rain.
We feel the weight of the world.
But bloom we do.
Each step brings a fresh breeze.
Unencumbered by
what might have been.
Only to freely relinquish ourselves.
From all that remains
of the great warriors.
This is an eternal law.
​

What are the obstacles you face?
No more than those tricks of the mind.
Reflected in the moon and the lotus
Engulfing everything.
Like a thick cold fog.
Some strive to address the fog.
Refusing to be wrapped-up
in the illusions and cravings of the mind.
Then when you look for it,
you become further from it.
Perhaps then, a world of
struggle becomes less?

And then the night came.
All things stood still.
‘It is lovely’
I said to myself.
The sheer black dreaminess,
counted and saved.
Catches the thread
of happiness.
In a single moment.