P'u-t'o Temple
by Yuan MeiEnglish version by J. P. Seaton
Original Language Chinese
A temple, hidden, treasured
in the mountain's cleft
Pines, bamboo
such a subtle flavor:
The ancient Buddha sits there, wordless
The welling source speaks for him.
-- from A Drifting Boat: Chinese Zen Poetry, Edited by J. P. Seaton / Edited by Dennis Maloney |
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/ Image by nurpax /
This poem feels like a brush painting. A few simple strokes suggest the scene: A temple. A mountain's cleft. Pines, bamboo. A Buddha.
That's all we need to be brought, with the Buddha, to wordlessness and the "welling source." Mm.