Observing

I look down upon him, watching him as he sits there. I observe his every motion, but he is seemingly unaware of me. He rises and I go with him. He moves across the room and out the door. We go into a large field, a field of wildflowers. Beyond us is a small river, rushing down to join a much larger river that joins a lake. He cannot see this, as I can. He stands and takes in the incredible scene of the meadow. I observe the large view from my vantage point. I can see much further than he. Soon he returns to the room and my observation must end. Perhaps another day. I am always here for him.

Senses

The wind blows across my skin but it does not warm me. I feel it as it brings my senses yo life, but it is just on the surface. I smell the flowers and my nasal passages enjoy the aromas, yet it does not enlighten my inner self. I hear the music of nature; however my ears cannot transmit the melody beyond my middle ears. I need something else; something that reaches me on a different level. My inner soul craves contact. My deepest senses are starving and yet I lack fodder for them. So I sit and I contemplate. My mind slowly clears itself and my thoughts pass from me and then I rise again, renewed.

Seeing

I look around me,
A clear sky I see.
I glaze above me,
The bright sun I see.
I look beside me,
Tall trees I do see.
I glaze below me,
The brambles poke me.
All these in their true place.

They Came

They came, as I knew they would. I had been waiting for them for quite some time actually. I had been anticipating this very event, you might sat. If you have experience life and you have learned anything, you eventually begin to know when certain things are going to happen. That is exactly what happened to me. This was just one of those things. I had mentioned it to some of my colleagues and even to a couple of my friends. Oh yes, I do have a couple of friends; not more than a couple, mind you. Most don't want to listen to me any more. Mr. Doom and Warning, they all call me. Boy, they'll all be listening to me now. But that will just have to wait, because I am going on vacation. I had planned it, and when you plan something, you just have to see it through.

Oh, and please just let them out when they have run out of steam.

The Canoe

The canoe that I'm floating in
Has no oars; safe from the din.
The current carries me,
By each bend it's free.
The wonders of the flow.

Don't Try

Within the dark, I have light
But in the light is not my dark.
I cannot glaze into your dark,
Nor can I view upon your light.
Don't try to understand mine.

When You See

There was a cook who liked to have everyone call him Chew. He met a man called Longtime. He became impressed with the knowledge Longtime imparted to his students as a teacher, so he asked him if he could study with him and learn from him. Longtime told him he would be happy to teach him would he knew if only Chew would instruct him how to cook. They quickly reached agreement and began their mutual studies.

Many months passed. Chew provided Longtime with lessons in the kitchen and Longtime learned easily how to prepare dishes in various styles. However, Chew did not feel he was receiving the same level of instruction in return. One day he approached Longtime with his concerns. He told him straight out he felt he was not receiving any instruction at all. Longtime seemed surprised by this. He replied, "I have been teaching you you ever since you arrived. Whenever you approach me, I bow to you. When I sit down, I allow you to either stand or sit at my right hand. I have always allowed you to be the one to serve me my tea each day."

Chew looked at him as if he were crazy. "Is this it?"

Longtime said, "When you see, you really see. If you have to think, then it has escaped you."

Blind

Where the light is, there is the darkness.
Where the dark is, you can find the light.
When you really notice,
It will make you blind.

The Dragon and The Pond

Once a honorable man heard a story about a nearby place. There was a dragon living by a pond and where this occurred, many gathered to witnessed this strange thing. He kept hearing of the dragon and the pond, and though, as an educated man, he had never believed in dragons, so many spoke of it, he decided he would go see this unusual occurrence himself.

when he reached the pond, he could not find any dragon. He did encounter a man and so he asked about the dragon who was suppose to live near the pond. The man said, "What silliness is this? A dragon is fire and terror. A pond is water and peace. How could you ever expect the two to coexist together?"

So the honorable man left the pond and went into a nearby town, where he entered a temple. There he met a monk. He told the monk the all about hearing of the dragon and the pond and coming to see if it was true. He mentioned his visit to the pond and finding no dragon. He described his encounter with the man and the remarks the man made to him. After listening patiently to his tale, the monk laughed lightly, and said to him, "Things in our world are just what they are. What belongs together comes together. What does not belong together is separated."

Now completely confused, the honorable man left the temple and the town and wandered back to the shore of the pond. It was now late in the evening. It was getting very dark. The only light was what was provided by the moon overhead. As he sat on the sand near the pond, he watched the moonlight glimmer on the pond's surface. Suddenly from somewhere behind him, in the dark shadows, he heard a voice speaking to him. "You look so sad sitting there. Why are you alone, sitting on the edge of this pond?"

"You startled me. I cannot see you in this darkness. Please step out where I can see you, so I know you mean me no harm"

Again the voice sounded from the dark, "Alas, it is probably best I remain where I am. I am hideous to view and I am afraid I might frighten you terribly. I have been consumed by flame. Allow me, please, to remain where I am, in the shadows. I assure you, I mean you no harm."

"If you must, I understand. I do not wish to make you uncomfortable. I, myself, sit here because I came today to experience the mysteries I have been hearing about of the dragon and this pond. However, when I arrived, I found there was no dragon and I had been fooled. As an honorable man, I should have known better. I encountered a man who mocked me for being here. I entered the town only to run into a monk who laughed at my misfortune. Now I have returned here. I had thought I might have a brief swim to clean myself and relax before heading home, but, like everything else today, even that was not to be. The water is much too cold to enter. It seems everything I attempted this day turned out differently then I thought it would."

I am sorry to hear of your unfortunate day. I cannot believe, knowing the people around here as well as I do, that anyone really would mock you or make fun of you for the beliefs you had. However, be that as it may, did you say the water was too cold for you? Here, just step back a bit; I'll warm it up for you."

Answers

People look for answers all the time,
Seeking to see the one true light
Or just a glance into the next world.
What they seek is in their hearts,
The words are in their minds,
For it's there eternal spring manifests.

The Carpenter

He was a finish carpenter and a cabinet maker. He was the very best at what he did. Every cut, every miter, every spindle was done with affection and it showed in his work. Yet he had no vanity. He just liked what he did. It was everyone else that saw the superiority of his work.

He had two young apprentices. He sought to teach them about his trade. Tim was, well, Tim was timid. He was shy and quiet and tried to hang back away from others. He did not speak unless he absolutely had to and he asked few questions. However, he never took his eyes off the master carpenter. He watched everything he did and he listened to every word he said. He absorbed his lessons like a sponge.

Bob was the other apprentice. He was nothing like Tim. Bob was the bold one. He was confident, full of himself and let everyone know he was on top of his game, all the time. He always caught onto things easily and seemed to be one step ahead of everyone, all his life. His work was excellent and he knew it. In contrast to Tim, he spoke freely and openly to the master, often interrupting the lessons, as he knew what was being taught even before the complete lesson was finished for him.

Tim worked each day at the side of the master carpenter, doing his tasks. He thought about the joy of the wood, the pleasure of the world around him, and how much he enjoyed being with this man who knew so much about a subject that thrilled him so completely. He could imagine no greater life.

Bob chaffed at the bit. He was ready to strike out on his own. He just needed the master carpenter to sign off on his apprenticeship and he would be gone. This was boring. Day in and day out, it was the same thing; he could be doing so much more and earning a lot more money. All he could think about was getting out of this arrangement and moving on with his own life.

One day the master called his two apprentices to him. He asked them both the same question. "Where do you think you are right now on your path?"

Bob, naturally, responded first. "I am an accomplished cabinet maker. People seek me out for their needs because they desire the beauty and quality that arises from my creations. I am ready to move on."

Tim sat for awhile without saying anything, but finally he spoke quietly. "I came to you not truly knowing what it was I wanted or needed. I found for myself a path to walk upon. I discovered, while I walked that path, that the journey had no end. I have found contentment." With those remarks, Tim smiled and fell silent once again.

The master looked at both of the young men for a moment and then said to them, "I allowed the two of you to work along side of me in the hopes that I could pass some of what I have gained over the years on to each of you. In that regard, I have been only partially successful. What I tried to impart upon you was not a skill. That was already developing within you when you came upon me. One of you has wasted his time being here as he has learned nothing that can be useful in life. The other has surpassed his teacher and I bow to him and ask that I might remain with him so I may now learn from him."

The Self and The Other

The self and the other
Are two of the same.
When the active ceases,
The other one remains.
Ten thousand thoughts
Return to the self,
Right where they were
In the other one's else.

Nightwings

I have always been one of those, but not fully accepted by them. I don't like the light; it hurts so very much. I want the shadows. There I find my comfort. I am not, however, adaptable to the night. I still need to wander the daytime. I do not seek out the company of those who move around me. I avoid the contact as they avoid contacting me. The taste has never really come upon me. I find my nourishment in other manners. the mind fits into a slot somewhere between the two worlds, carving out its own niche, seeking for itself a place to call its own. I avoid those who may be similar and those so different from me, and yet, yet I wonder what life would have been like to have belonged in one or the other. But there has been the wolf and he has been my friend.

Abandon Me

Abandon me my love.
Walk away into the night.
Life will still go on.
What is it you thought?
That my world was you,
And I could not survive?
There is no such person.

Cause and Effect

Professor Long had been teaching the same course for the past five years, ten semesters. Each semester, as he taught, in the back of the room stood an old man listening to his lectures. Finally one day, he approached the elderly gentleman and asked him why he kept coming to his lectures, semester after semester.

"I am no longer a human. I once was the professor who taught this very course before you. Several years ago, a student asked me if what I taught had anything to do with him becoming an enlightened individual sometime in his life. I answered, such a thing does not happen. Now I am a timber wolf. I return seeking something to turn be from this path. Can you help me?"

The next time the class met, Professor Long waited until all the students were assembled and he spotted the old man, who he now knew as Professor Short, and then he said to the assembled listeners, "My lecture today is based upon that which has been discussed. As you seek which you need, each of you here eventually will, in your own way, want to become enlightened. My advice is, 'Don't ignore cause and effect.'"

With that the former professor got up and left the room, satisfied. He passed away soon after, a happy man.

At the next class meeting, Professor Long announced there would be a brief assembly at the end of class in honor of Professor Short, who had died. As none of the students there knew who he was, there was puzzlement and whispering throughout the room. One students asked who he was, as no one knew of any professor who had recently died or of one named Short.

Professor Long lead the class out into a nearby field. There was a funeral pyre set-up and a timber wolf body lying upon it. Professor Long stopped near the pyre and said, "Professor Short was the former teacher of our course. He once erred in his instruction and was doomed to wander as a wolf for his misjudgment. Unless each of you open your minds, you too will wander.

Fades of Gray

I used to be able to laugh every day
But then the laughter went away
Then I found myself alone crying
But I felt I was caving; lie in
Sadness long enough
It just fades away

Healing

Why heal the body,
When the mind bleeds?
Bandaging the wound
Cannot heal the mind.
For when the mind heals,
The body soothes.
When both become free,
Only then do souls ignite.

The Moon

Over the gently swaying trees
The bright moon is so full
I watch as I drift and lull
And my spirit force frees.

Floating

She sat and watched the stream each and every day. It flowed past her place, very gently past. She watched small leaves floating on the surface and little branches as they traveled downstream. The water was shallow and she could walk across the stream in front of her place without even getting her clothes wet. Sometimes she would cross over and watch from the over side.

Often, while she sat watching, she wondered what it was like farther downstream. On occasion she asked her father about it. Her father told her that life was very good right where she was. Downstream, life was much worse. She did not need to go there. She would be in terrible danger if she ever went downstream. He urged her not to wander. Here was her place and here she was safe.

One day, as she was watching things float downstream, she decided she would try floating on the stream, just like all the objects she liked to watch. The water was awfully gentle and it was not very deep. She could float a short ways down the stream and be able to see a few new sights. Whenever she wanted to, she could just stand up in the stream, walk to the shore and come back home.

She looked around and found a wide board that was dry and could support her if she lay on it. So she sat down on the board, pushed off and began to float down the stream. The board moved gently downstream, just like the leaves and branches. It moved very slowly. She watched everything. She saw new trees she had never seen before. She saw animals coming right up to the shore to drink. She watched the leaves and the branches floating by her. She was even able to see fish in the stream. What she did not see was that the stream was getting deeper and the water was moving faster.

After some time, she decided she should probably get off the board and head for home. She had been gone for quite a long time. When she went to get off though, she noticed for the first time that she could no longer see the bottom of the stream. She was concerned, but she was not really worried. She considered herself a good swimmer. As she prepared to slip into the water, she also noticed the water was now rushing by very quickly, and that she would have some trouble swimming across to the shore, which, by this point, was quite a distance from where she was on the board. Again she was concerned, but as she had never been in trouble before in her life, she still was not terribly worried.

She would do what she had always been taught to do. She would call out for her father. So she did, loudly, but there was no answer. She called again, yelling his name even louder, but still there was no response. She realized she had drifted a very long way from her home on the stream's current, and her father probably could no longer hear her calls for assistance. At this point she decided she was worried.

Ahead she also noticed some problems developing. If the board she was riding on continued to drift in the current to the left, everything would be just fine, and she would likely drift into shore in a short while. However, it the board continued on in the center of the stream, it was going to crash onto some very large sharp rocks. If that happened, she would likely be injured. Still, the board could drift to the right in the ever-widening stream. If that was the case, the board and its' passenger were going to go over a large set of falls and she was pretty sure she would not survive that journey. Having not considered navigation before she set out, the board was completely adrift and she had no control over the direction it would take. All she could do is to sit there and watch the events as they unfolded.

Just when she was sure the board was heading for certain disaster, it veered to the left and drifted peacefully into shore, safely. She immediately jumped up off the board onto the shore and raced all the way home. When she arrived, she ran straight to her father and tearfully told him her horrible story. he listened to her patiently. When she had finished, he did not scold her for being disobedient. He told her he was glad she had not been injured or lost and that she was where she belonged, at home, safe. He reminded her, everything in life was a lesson to be learned from. She agreed with that.

The next morning she arose and went down to the shore. As she had done for years, sat down and watched the leaves and branches for awhile. After a short time, she stood up and looked around. No one was in sight. She looked carefully for her father, because after her scare the day before, she wanted to know where he was. She did not see him. She picked up a wide board, set it down in the shallow water, sit down on it, pushed herself off from the shore, and floated downstream. She had a smile on her face.

Dark

Step back, the dark engulfs
Folding around the body
Feel the comfort it gives,
As those in light pass by.
Stand quiet, so as to blend
Ease back safe in the arms
Of the mist of the dim.
Busy folks passing you by,
And you stand safe from them.
They can't reach nor harm you.
You don't have to bother
Or act with any of them.
For a while there is peace,
And for a time there's calm.
Then you step into light,
Join the world going.

Clever

I recognize how to use tools
And I can pick up a pen and write.
I know I am sufficient at these.
It is others who can be clever.

Thought Process

Devious little mind
Was turning all the knobs
And testing the water temp
Looking for a way, but
Not caring 'bout the Bomb
I just stepped on it,
Like a little cockroach.

The Cave

The cave was a lonely place. It was tucked back in the side of the cliff, on the side of an insurmountable mountain. On the base of the mountain a dense impenetrable forest grew. No paths lead to the mountain and no way could be found to scale the cliff face. Yet within the cave lived a man. He lived a solitary life. He had been there for many years now. In the mornings he came to the front of the cave and watched as the sun rose, for the cave opening faced the rising orb. In the evening, he sat in the same place as the shadows rose and the darkness came to the cave.

This hermit had not spoken aloud for all the years he had lived in the cave, for there was no one to speak to. Having not seen another person in all that time, he no longer missed human contact. One morning he arose and he made his way to the cave opening, as he had done many times before. There, siting facing the rising sun was another man. The hermit was startled, but he moved to a place along side the new visitor and sat down, waiting for the morning light. After his meditation, he arose and began his return to the cave. The new tenant turned to him and spoke, "Where are you going? Don't you want to talk. I have just got here."

Again the hermit was startled and did not know how to react. He looked back at the man. What was he to do? He shrugged his shoulders and sat back down, but since he was so unfamiliar with speaking and conversation, he just sat there. After awhile, he decided he had sat long enough and he arose again to return to the cave, so he could continue his daily routine. As before, he rose and moved toward the entrance of the cave. As before, the visitor spoke to him, "Where is it that you are going? I really want to visit with you? Why do you insist on running off?"

This time though the hermit ignored the man and continued with what he had planned. He entered the cave and performed his daily tasks. As the end of the day neared, he returned to the cave entrance so that he could view the setting of the sun and the coming of the shadows. The visitor was still sitting on the edge of the cliff, just as he was in the morning. This time he ignored the hermit and neither looked at him nor spoke to him. The cave dweller sat down, as he had done every day, quietly watched as the shadows climbed up the cliff and filled the cave.

After a while he turned to his guest, smiled and said the first words he had uttered in many years, "You do realize there is no possible way for you to have come to be sitting outside this cave, just as there is no way for me to me here. Have you even considered that?"

Noble

Marching off to war
What a noble thing to do.
After years of growing
And years of learning,
Here you are fighting for
Someone else's goal, and
Some country's glory; yet
You'll go willingly
And you'll maybe die,
To be buried in some
Foreign ground away
From your own, and
Away from family; so
Let us be so very noble.
They will appreciate it.

The True Search

Let some do the search
Miracles they may find
Let others sit and judge
If we are crude or fine.

I only care to know
If the flower I see today
Has blossoms of red or white.

Still the Same

Standing facing,
On my head,
Night or day,
What's the difference?
Divide the Niagara.
Half of it above,
Half of it below,
The Falls still roar.

Best Teaching

I was once asked, what was the best manner in which I had ever taught another person. I replied that I taught best facing him.

I then was asked what I did when I had no students, no one to listen to me, and nothing to talk about.

Aside from the absurdity of that, I would stand on my head.

Here

When we arrive
Nothing is added.
When we leave
Nothing is lost.
That's how it is.
We come and go
And it's all right here.

Alive or Dead

Two long time friends went to view their former colleague at the funeral home, as he had recently passed away. When they arrived, they realized they had come at the end of visiting hours, as they were the only two people there. They entered and approached the coffin. The one tapped on the coffin as he stepped up to it. As he did, he said, "Is it alive or dead?"

His friend said, "I wouldn't say alive nor would I say dead."

"Why not?"

"I just won't"

With that the first one hit his friend.

Later, when they had returned to the one's home, the one who had been hit asked his friend to leave. "You need to leave now. I am afraid that what you did will bring problems for you."

Upon leaving, the man went to a mutual friend's house. Upon arriving, he explained what had happened at the funeral home and how he had ended up hitting his friend. He asked this friend for advice.

His friend,having listened in silence, nodded, and then said, "I wouldn't say alive nor would I say dead."

"Why not?"

"I just won't."

Now he understood.

A Question of Dragons

Many centuries ago, a highly philosophical question was asked. The question pondered was: "Why was the dragon howling in the dead tree?" Much was discussed on this subject, and many scrolls were prepared in an attempt to find an answer to this inquiry. In looking at this today, these many years later, I have to say, I believe those scholars spent too much time on this particular question. In truth, there were two other related questions that needed to be responded to first.

First, what was a dragon doing in a dead tree in the first place? Now I suppose that he probably killed it prior to occupying it, but then, what was the point? A dead tree quickly loses its' ability to support weight and, goodness knows, a dragon does have weight. There simply is no way any dead tree would support a full grown dragon. The damn thing would just snap apart and the dragon would be on the ground in no time.

Now if you're going to suggest, just to be a smart ass that maybe it wasn't a full grown specimen, well, that is just absolutely absurd. Young dragons don't hang around on their own. Their mothers, as we all know, keep them in the nest until they are grown and can fend for themselves. Females travel only in the company of males (after all there are moral standards) and adult males are the only ones ho would be seen on their own.

Besides this, the whole concept of the scorched earth is really one of those western myth and legend things. Dragons are really not a foul breed. The Chinesse and their neighbors have had a lot more contact with them, and for a lot longer, than the Europeans, and they don't go around bad mouthing dragons. By and large, they describe a creature who is fairly peaceful.

Most of the dragon species do not go around scorching their homes and environments. They certainly do not live in an active fire zone as that would make for certain health problems they don't want to put up with, such as lack of decent food, lousy personal hygiene, not to mention the odors.

Second, what is with this howling nonsense? Roar, belch, breathe fire - everyone has read or encountered those attributes in dragons, but when has anyone ever came across any reference to howling in relation to this species. They are not exactly wolves, you know. Howling is not in their bag of tricks; i.e., "the dragon spotted the cute little virgin strolling past his cave, and he howled at her in a lustful manner." No, I really do not think that would happen.

So now, having examined those two issues, let us return to the original question, why was the dragon howling in the dead tree? We have established that dragons do not perch in dead trees and they do not howl. So, in conclusion, we can arrive at a few possibilities. One is that the original poser of the question was just plain nuts. Another is that he was pulling everyone's leg, knowing full well what we know.

Another possibility is that he encountered a dragon suffering from an advanced form of mental illness, who really did not realize he was a dragon, but thought he was a vulture. In which case, sitting in a dead tree was perfectly acceptable behavior. However, that would not explain the howling.

So now we need to alter this last scenario slightly. What we now have is a mentally deranged dragon with multiple personalities. On some occasions, the dragon believes himself to be a vulture sitting in a dead tree waiting for prey. On other occasions, the dragon's personality shifts and he becomes a timber wolf. As a timber wolf, he is not surprised by the presence of the tree, but he knows he should be on the ground, so he climbs done to earth, where he begins to howl, as all wolves do. As a wolf, he is not at all shock to encounter either the vulture or the dragon.

Let us just hope that any one of the three does not turn on one of the others in a fit of hunger. The feeding frenzy would be terrible, especially if one of the others joined in.

Finding Level

A farmer and his son were working and tilling their fields. The father came upon his son, who was looking over a new section of land they had acquired. The section consisted of some low portions and some high portions. The son said to his father, "Do you want me to fill in the low areas using earth from the high ones, so that they will all be level?"

Making fun of his son, the father replied, "Why not just flood the low areas with water until it reaches the high area, as water seeks its' own level? Then the entire field will be level."

The son, becoming very serious, responded, "That won't be necessary at all. The high areas are high level. The low areas are low level."

Which Word

First word, last word
Grasp the one and
Then realize the other
But don't be mislead
They're more than
Just the one word.

Same, Yet and Different

I felt nostalgic, so I went to visit some of my old friends, though I do not recall any. The first one I visited, I pushed open his door and walked right into his house, yelling out, "Anyone home, anyone home?"

Upon seeing me, he threw up his right hand, palm out, facing me. I looked at him and laughed. "I am on the Queen Mary, not a rowboat. How do you expect me to tie my ship to that pier?" With that I left as I had come.

Eventually I came to the house of another dear old friend I have never really known. As I did before, I walked straight in, throwing the door back, yelling, "Anyone home, anyone home?"

Upon seeing me, this man threw his right hand in the air, palm out, facing me. I looked at him and I laughed. "You bring life to some and death to others. To a few, you introduce joy, while others learn of sorrow. Your life is one of give and take, as it should be." I bowed to him, turned back to the door and left, to return to my home. My quest was over.

The Local Spirit

A great lecturer was traveling, as he sometimes did to unwind and relax. When he did travel, he liked to do so without notice, so that he would not be bothered and there would not be any fanfare, as there was in his daily work life.

While on a particular trip, he came to a small village, which was not on any maps. The village was very much prepared for his arrival, with a special room set aside and prepared just for him, a formal dinner arranged in advance, with all the important people of the village invited, and even a welcoming committee waiting for him when he arrived.

The lecturer was taken back by all of this. When approached by the village's spokesperson, he asked, "How did you know I was coming? I try to keep my plans private. I certainly did not request any such doings, nor did I expect them."

The villager responded, "I was approached by a local spirit who informed me of your coming. So I spoke to my fellow villagers and we prepared this welcome, as the spirit directed us to do."

"Obviously I have displeased your spirit or he would not have pulled such a stunt on me or upon you." The lecturer was heard to remark as he looked around at all the people gathered.

"You are a famous lecturer. Why do you believe you came to the attention of our village's spirit?"

"I need to extend a breakfast invitation to your spirit. I need to practice much harder."

Clouds

I lie here watching
The clouds coming in,
The clouds passing by.
A gentle wind moves them;
This only I know.

Facing Fools

When those you face
Are but small fools;
Why speak of dreams?
Like dogs who grasp
Without any thumbs,
What is clear
Becomes obscure.

Old Friend

I ran into a friend and
We talked about this and that
And while we talked, you came up.
As soon as that did, I tossed you
Aside and went on - the weather
Was nice and the talk was pleasant.

I've seen you pass me by, and
I know you never even noticed me.
As the memory has all gone out,
And you've crawled on to your life.
Hollow inside and hollow out.

Going Back

Let us go back to the start,
Back to our origins.
End this endeavor.
We are all blind.
Each of us is deaf.
Here we live impassive,
Watching the grass grow,
Seeing the flowers bloom,
And the rivers run.

Hidden

I live in those places.
I've always been there,
Standing back, watching,
Feeling so very safe, and
Knowing no one knows me.
I'm hidden and I am
Invisible, unseen;
I grew up in that way,
And I want to stay there.
Sure they do not know me,
But I have learned lots.

It Was

It looked just like, well ...
then not exactly; but
on the other hand, if
I really wanted I
guess I could describe it
as being pictured
As a sort of - no, no;
the thing is, the beauty
was so impressive, it's
in this garden and all
around me was all this
invisible - well not
exactly that; it was
more like a building was;
whoops, ... no description works.

Words

There are words that must be said but cannot be spoken. There are messages that must be transmitted but cannot be uttered. How can these comments be made? I hear the lessons and cannot repeat them for there is no language for them. Yet I know others have heard the lessons as I have and others will hear them again. It keeps repeating and it is so loud sometimes I want to scream for it to just quiet down so I can have a little peace and solitude, but then who exactly am I disturbing, after all?

Mind

Thought comes not from school
Nor does it come from others' words
It comes when one's mind is free.

Peace is not achieved by armies
Nor does it come from leaders
It comes when one's mind is calm.

Ingrates

Strolling along beside you unnoticed, they linger, molded to you. They're there when you're there but you rarely notice them - oh sure, sometimes you pay attention, but not to give them any real substance. They're a part of you and of me and yet - yet they fade away so easily and bend and slide and roll and twist and never really have life of their own. They just stick to us, follow us, do just what we do, observe and learn from us. And what do we do in return? We turn out the lights?

Same

Every day it rises
Lights up the sky
Every day it sets
Darkens the land

When it blows soft
Whispers so pure
When it howls loud
Circles the earth

Father's Visit

"Why have you traveled so far to see me?" asked the son to his father, when the father showed up unexpected at his doorstep one afternoon.

"I came just like this." answered the father, rapping on the open door next to his son.

His son looked at him, shook his head, and asked, as he moved aside to let his father enter, "What is it you are teaching these days?"

His father stopped halfway into the room, turned around and came over, standing very close to his son. He beckoned to him and said, "Son, please come closer so you can hear me."

His son obeyed and moved as close as he could to his father.

His father said, "Keep what I am saying in front of your thoughts."

After a Rain

After a rain, the clouds pass,
And then the sun shows;
When the spring begins.
No words are needed,
Or signs can help you,
'Cause truth's not anything.

Father and Son

One morning the son came into the kitchen. Seeing his father sitting at the table reading a paper, eating, he said to him, "How are you this morning, Papa?"

The father set the paper down, dropped his utensils, and looked up at his son. after a long moment of looking at him, he picked up his utensils and paper and resumed what he had been doing.

The next morning the son came to breakfast again. As before, his father was already at the table ahead of him. Again he said to him, "How are you this morning, Papa?"

Just as the day before, his father laid everything down, looked up at his son, held his glaze for awhile, and then resumed his meal.

On the third day, determined his father would talk to him, the son came into the kitchen and, looking directly at his father, stated, "Papa, for the past couple mornings, I have come into this room and greeted you, and you have failed to acknowledge me. Why are you being rude to me? Have I offended you?"

"Each morning you have entered this room. I have set aside whatever I was engaged in to take the time to look upon the person I admire the most. Because I have been so overcome with love and pride for you and have not spoken, does not mean I have not acknowledged you. You need to learn to better understand what is being expressed to you."

Dragons

There are dragons living here,
here among us.
They live in the hollows and,
they live in the trees, some dead
and some not so.
Find one and you will know
many different things 'bout life;
find two, and comes the thought -
There is not duality.

Reality

When we've said all the words
And the ideas have been expressed.
Reality's description fades away.
All that remains after that,
Is reality itself.

The Search

The search for truth
finds no place to look,
though it is all around.
When the snows have gone,
and the waters run clear,
the grass is fresh and
then look for the spring.
The signs are not hidden then.

A Tale

Once upon a time, there was a politician who awoke one morning to realize that what he did every day was not good work and he needed to change his ways. He went to his followers and his staff and told them he could no longer serve as a politician holding public office. He explained that he had come to realize that the things he had been doing were corrupt, immoral, and did not represent good deeds in his personal life. He needed to change. Therefore he was resigning, effective immediately, and he was going on a personal pilgrimage to find his true calling, to find the truth in his life.

His staff and followers were appalled. How could he do such a thing? Who cared about his personal feelings about corruption, morality, or good deed? This was politics. A call was placed to someone in a position much higher up in the party. the situation was explained. Back room conversations were held. He simply could not be allowed to do such an outrageous thing. Men were dispatched to convince him, by whatever means necessary, to change his mind.

The persuaders arrived, ready to convince him of the errors of his ways. They went to talk to the politician. However, he was not in his office when they arrived there. So they went to his home, but he had not been there since his announcement. He was not giving a speech, or kissing babies, or making promises to old people. No one could find him anywhere. So an announcement was made that the politician had suffered a terrible accident and could no longer serve the people in office and, therefore, his aide would bravely carry on in his behalf and serve out the remainder of his term. All was right again. They lived happily ever after.

The man stood in the park watching the children play, the adults strolling on the pathways, viewing the birds, the squirrels, and just taking in all the sights and sounds. He was happy, and he felt good about himself.

A Father and A Daughter

A father and his daughter were standing in a meadow on a warm summer afternoon enjoying the beautiful day. The father looked skyward for a long moment and then remarked to his daughter, "As I look at this glorious sky with the incredible blues and those pure white clouds, I am reminded of something my grandfather once said to me. He told me on a very similar day that when you look upon such a scene, it is almost as if the heavens are laid out before you."

His daughter glazed at the sky briefly and replied, "That is absurd."

"Well then, what would you say?"

She said, "I would say, when you look upon such a scene, it is almost as if the heavens are laid out before you."

Her father smiled.

Virtue

One brother raised it on high
The other drove it to the depths
Both managed to lose virtue
Both were set free

Points

The professor announced in class on Monday that when class resumed on Wednesday he would not allow any questions to be asked. If anyone asked a question, that student would lose 30% of his or her final grade average.

On Wednesday, the professor stood in front of the classroom as the students arrived. A late arriving youth came rushing into the room and was taking his seat when the professor said to him, "You will be losing 30% of your grade for that."

"What did I do? I didn't ask you anything. I was only sitting down in my seat."

"Where have you come from? Where is your home?" The professor inquired of the late arriving student.

"I come from Kansas." The worried youth responded to the teacher's question.

"The professor nodded and replied, "You deserved the loss of points before you even joined the class."

Winds

Winds blow
Leaves fall
Filling the air
Coming to rest
Nowhere else
But only here

A Question

I once contemplated why the Buddha walked the road barefoot and poor. I asked and received no good answers. So i inquired of a rock. The rock apparently did not know, or it did not care. It also gave me no response. Now I do not care either.

Learning

The truth is in front of you
Your readings will blind you
The words are magic
The phrases cleverly guide
But do they bring you closer
Than the sounds of a waterfall
Or the feel on the mountaintop