...

The essence of the mind is empty, and the myriad conditions are all serene. It is like the great orb of the sun climbing into space—the refulgent brilliance gleams in illumination, purity without a single speck of dust. The realization of this mind is without new or old, without shallow or deep. Its explanation depends neither on doctrinal understanding, on teachers, nor on opening up the doors and windows of one's house to let in students. Right now, and that's it! To activate thoughts is to go against it! Afterward, you'll realize this is the fundamental Buddha.

- Pei Xiu of Hedong

The third one crooked,
The second one leaning
Bamboos have grown
By the stone steps of the garden.
Every year
There are more of them
Until now they are a forest.
At the clack of a stone on bamboo,
Hsiang-yen shattered
The uncountable worlds,
But this garden
Continues in its green shade
Just as before

- Muso Soseki (1275-1351)

This realm of cliffs was never carved,
This structure of clouds—admire the goods!
I climb and look and whistle out loud;
Magical echoes emerge from green mist!
Thick, thick the colors of pine and cypress:
The air here entices one to move!
Fine birds too are flocking down below,
Finding a natural enjoyment for themselves.
I also wish to find serene seclusion,
But I'm afraid the dust will pull me back!
The brilliant sun shining on my shirt and robe
On and on, I seek the crystal spring.

- Kodojin (1865-1944)

The students of the Tao must be able to first penetrate the real nature of all phenomenal realms so that they will not be pushed around at will by illusory causal conditions.

- Han-Shan Te-Ch'ing (1546-1623)

The Dharma spring of the Sixth Patriarch
Has never run dry
It is flowing even now
A single drop has
Fallen and spread
Far and deep

Don’t be caught
By the decorations at the edge
And the wall around it
In the dead of night
The moonlight strikes
The middle of the pond.

- Soseki

Your addiction to thinking will come back to haunt you.

- Soseki

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I was really hoping to find a quotation by Soseki that was printed on a bookmark given away for free by a local bookstore when I was a teen. Quoting from memory so maybe not quite accurate:

"How pleasant to sit with a book by lamplight in the evening, holding intimate concourse with men of unseen generations."

But in trying to find that quotation I discovered that he had much more radical and advanced things he had written about thinking and the world.

---

Biscuits in summer
I hope there's no frog in this
Because I like frogs

In order to solve the great matter of life and death, one must have a will as strong as iron and stone so as not be affected by illusory ideas and actual circumstances. One must purify all bad feelings and views that have been formed and accumulated. Truly let go of this bodily life so as not be hindered by the evil conditions of sickness and suffering in the cycle of life and death.

- Han-Shan Te-Ch'ing (1546-1623)

“The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.”
― Lao Tzu

“When the student is ready the teacher will appear.
When the student is truly ready... The teacher will Disappear.”

― Tao Te Ching

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

should you fancy yerself the teacher, you'll only know it when the student asks the question that requires an answer
should you fancy yerself the student, ask the question that requires an answer

@rookie54 said
“When the student is ready the teacher will appear.
When the student is truly ready... The teacher will Disappear.”

― Tao Te Ching

@Kevin-Eleven
good catch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The way, crossed by many paths,
The moss, by sandal tracks.
White clouds lean,
At rest on the silent island.
Fragrant grasses bar the idle gate.
Rain past, observe the color of the pines.
Out along the mountain, to the source,
Flowers in the stream reveal Ch'an's meaning.
Face to face, and all words gone.

- Lui Ch'ang-ch'ing (709-785)

Mountain of Mountains it's called. Why so?
The green of Ch'i and Lu is lost to view.
Here Creation crystalizes grace.
With north and southern slopes
Defining dusk and dawn.
Chest straining, where thick clouds grow.
Eyes bursting to see returning birds.
Shall I, one day, attain that final summit?
All other mountains, at a glance, grown small?

- Tu Fu (d. 770)

A hut in empty grove.
Outside the door, a single majestic peak.
Before the stair, deep valleys.
Sunset confused in footprints of the rain.
Blue of the void in the shade of the court.
Look, and see: the lotus blossom's purity.
Know, then, that nothing taints this heart.

- Meng Hao-jan (689-740)

In the secluded mountains,
After a recent rainfall,
The air has the coolness
Of late autumn.
You can see the moon shining
Through the pine trees,
You can hear the clear spring water
Flowing over the rocks.

- Wang Wei (701-761)

If I climb an hour, I need to rest for three.
When your desk is piled full,
You just can't add anything more,
And when your withered stomach is full,
Who can keep eating?
So what good is even a faint scrap of mist or
Kingfisher green?
I'll wrap it all up,
Send the whole bundle off
To my city friends.

- Yang Wan-li (1127-1206)