Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Buddhist : Zen / Chan 13th Century	About Dogen Timeline (1200 - 1253)
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English version by Steven Heine Original Language Japanese	Worship
Commentary by Ivan M. Granger Themes   Snow           Recommended Books The Poetry of Zen: (Shambhalla Library), Edited by Sam Hamill / Edited by J. P. Seaton The Zen Poetry of Dogen: Verses from the Mountain of Eternal Peace, by Steven Heine Zen Poetry: Let the Spring Breeze Enter, Translated by Lucien Stryk / Translated by Takashi Ikemoto	A white heron Hiding itself In the snowy field, Where even the winter grass Cannot be seen.     -- from The Zen Poetry of Dogen: Verses from the Mountain of Eternal Peace, by Steven Heine Amazon.com
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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

It may not seem obvious with the first reading... Why does Dogen entitle this poem "Worship"? What does a white heron in snow have to do with worship?

Let's contemplate the imagery of this poem a bit. "A white heron / hiding itself / in a snowy field..." You have a being of white -- the heron -- disappearing into an environment of white -- the snow. In fact, the heron is not passively disappearing, it is actively engaged in the process; it is "hiding itself" in the snow.

Snow is often used in Zen poetry to suggest the true nature of the world when finally perceived by the enlightened awareness. Everything is seen as one, the same, radiant, "white" -- everything comes to rest in the interpenetrating glow of being. The idea of separation is lost in that light. Beings and objects, yourself included, are suddenly recognized as one fluid continuity in that "snowy field."

So this is what true worship is, according to Dogen: To recognize your own bright nature in the midst of the still, bright field of being -- and to let the sense of a separate (selfish) self fade as you gently merge into that radiance of interbeing.

Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are Copyright © 2002 - 2008 by Ivan M. Granger.
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