To Inscribe on a Picture of a Skull I Painted
All things born of causes end when causes run out;
but causes, what are they born of?
That very first cause – where did it come from?
At this point words fail me, workings of my mind go dead.
I took these words to the old woman in the house to the east;
the old woman in the house to the east was not pleased.
I questioned the old man in the house to the west;
the old man in the house to the west puckered his brow and walked away.
I tried writing the question on a biscuit, fed it to the dogs, but even the dogs refused to bite.
Concluding that these must be unlucky words, a mere jumble of a query,
I rolled life and death into a pill, kneading them together,
and gave it to the skull in the meadowside.
Suddenly the skull came leaping up,
and began to sing and dance for me.
A long song, a ballad of the Three Ages;
a wonderful dance, postures of the Three Worlds.
Three worlds, three ages, three times danced over –
“the moon sets on Chang-an and its midnight bells.”
-Ryokan
All things born of causes end when causes run out;
but causes, what are they born of?
That very first cause – where did it come from?
At this point words fail me, workings of my mind go dead.
I took these words to the old woman in the house to the east;
the old woman in the house to the east was not pleased.
I questioned the old man in the house to the west;
the old man in the house to the west puckered his brow and walked away.
I tried writing the question on a biscuit, fed it to the dogs, but even the dogs refused to bite.
Concluding that these must be unlucky words, a mere jumble of a query,
I rolled life and death into a pill, kneading them together,
and gave it to the skull in the meadowside.
Suddenly the skull came leaping up,
and began to sing and dance for me.
A long song, a ballad of the Three Ages;
a wonderful dance, postures of the Three Worlds.
Three worlds, three ages, three times danced over –
“the moon sets on Chang-an and its midnight bells.”
-Ryokan
For the Monk Xuanzang on his Return to the Western Regions
A hundred thousand mile journey – how many dangers?
Desert dragons, when you wag your tongue, will hear and be humbled.
The day you reach India’s five lands, your hair will be white –
The moon sets on Chang-an and its midnight bells.
-Li Dong
A hundred thousand mile journey – how many dangers?
Desert dragons, when you wag your tongue, will hear and be humbled.
The day you reach India’s five lands, your hair will be white –
The moon sets on Chang-an and its midnight bells.
-Li Dong
Xuanzang's Journey
Book of Serenity, Case 76
Shoushan said, “If you get it the first time you hear it, you will be the teacher of the buddhas and ancestors. If you get it the second time you hear it, you will be the teacher of gods and humans. If you get it the third time, you can’t even save yourself.”
Someone asked, “When did you get it?”
Shoushan said, “The moon sets at midnight, I walk alone through the town.”
Hongzhi’s Verse (with comments by Wansong in italics):
The skulls of the buddhas and ancestors are strung on one line
Let them leap as they may
The water clock quietly moves its arrow minutely in the night
Doesn’t allow people outside to know
The dynamic potential of humans and gods shoots ten tons
Using the light to struggle with the heavy
Brigades of clouds shining, flashing, swiftly let fly with lightning
In the blink of an eye you’ve missed it
People here, observe the changes
Planning is done according to the time
Meeting the lowly, then noble; to the noble, lowly
In their hearts they know they’re basically inherently the same, that’s why there’s no delight or resentment
Getting the jewel through formlessness, the ultimate way is continuous
A single thought unborn, the whole body manifests
Letting the cleaver play over the dead ox, the red heart is naked
Tears come from a painful gut
Shoushan said, “If you get it the first time you hear it, you will be the teacher of the buddhas and ancestors. If you get it the second time you hear it, you will be the teacher of gods and humans. If you get it the third time, you can’t even save yourself.”
Someone asked, “When did you get it?”
Shoushan said, “The moon sets at midnight, I walk alone through the town.”
Hongzhi’s Verse (with comments by Wansong in italics):
The skulls of the buddhas and ancestors are strung on one line
Let them leap as they may
The water clock quietly moves its arrow minutely in the night
Doesn’t allow people outside to know
The dynamic potential of humans and gods shoots ten tons
Using the light to struggle with the heavy
Brigades of clouds shining, flashing, swiftly let fly with lightning
In the blink of an eye you’ve missed it
People here, observe the changes
Planning is done according to the time
Meeting the lowly, then noble; to the noble, lowly
In their hearts they know they’re basically inherently the same, that’s why there’s no delight or resentment
Getting the jewel through formlessness, the ultimate way is continuous
A single thought unborn, the whole body manifests
Letting the cleaver play over the dead ox, the red heart is naked
Tears come from a painful gut
