Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Buddhist : Zen / Chan 18th Century	About Ryokan Timeline (1758 - 1831)
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English version by Stephen Mitchell Original Language Japanese	First days of spring -- the sky
Commentary by Ivan M. Granger Themes   Fire   Heart   Sky   Spring Blossom   Sun   Recommended Books Between the Floating Mist: Poems of Ryokan, Translated by Hide Oshiro / Translated by Dennis Maloney Between Two Souls: Conversations with Ryokan, by Mary Lou Kownacki Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf: Zen Poems of Ryokan, Translated by John Stevens The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry, by Stephen Mitchell Great Fool: Zen Master Ryokan: Poems, Letters, and Other Writings, Translated by Ryuichi Abe More >>	First days of spring -- the sky is bright blue, the sun huge and warm. Everything's turning green. Carrying my monk's bowl, I walk to the village to beg for my daily meal. The children spot me at the temple gate and happily crowd around, dragging to my arms till I stop. I put my bowl on a white rock, hang my bag on a branch. First we braid grasses and play tug-of-war, then we take turns singing and keeping a kick-ball in the air: I kick the ball and they sing, they kick and I sing. Time is forgotten, the hours fly. People passing by point at me and laugh: "Why are you acting like such a fool?" I nod my head and don't answer. I could say something, but why? Do you want to know what's in my heart? From the beginning of time: just this! just this!     -- from The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry, by Stephen Mitchell Amazon.com
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Commentary by Ivan M. Granger

This poem evokes the simple joy of a game played with children, a joy so immediate that it leads the awareness to that timeless, nondual state of the eternal present. It is that sense, felt particularly in the space of the heart, that time can be traced all the way to its beginning... and that beginning is found right here.

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