{"id":7232,"date":"2021-09-03T08:02:14","date_gmt":"2021-09-03T15:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/?p=7232"},"modified":"2021-09-03T08:02:14","modified_gmt":"2021-09-03T15:02:14","slug":"dogen-midnight-no-waves-no-wind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/03\/dogen-midnight-no-waves-no-wind\/","title":{"rendered":"Dogen – midnight – no waves, no wind"},"content":{"rendered":"

midnight \u2014 no waves, no wind
\nby Eihei Dogen<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

English version by Adjei Agyei-Baah & Gabriel Rosenstock<\/font><\/p>\n

midnight \u2014 no waves, no wind
\nempty boat
\nflooded with moonlight<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a> \u2014 from The Awakened One: Buddha-Themed Haiku from Around the World<\/a>, Edited by Adjei Agyei-Baah \/ Edited by Gabriel Rosenstock<\/font><\/p>\n


\/ Image by Osman Rana<\/a> \/<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n

We don\u2019t have to hand this haiku over to the intellect to immediately understand its implications, do we? Let\u2019s briefly sketch it out.<\/p>\n

Midnight. A still lake, an empty boat filled with moonlight.<\/p>\n

No activity. The mind is at rest. Emotions are calm, the will is content. In this quiet moment what we normally think of as ourselves is found to be empty, spacious, egoless. But the emptiness is not empty, it is filled with with the light of awareness. More than filled, flooded. And what does a flooded boat do? It sinks. It gives itself to the embrace of the illuminated water. Only the light and the quiet lake remain.<\/p>\n

Or perhaps it is just a moment in time. It is what it is and nothing more: Midnight. A still lake, an empty boat filled with moonlight.<\/p>\n

=<\/p>\n

Eihei Dogen, sometimes respectfully referred to as Dogen Zenji, was a key figure in the development of Japanese Zen practice and the founder of the Soto Zen sect.<\/p>\n

Dogen was born in about 1200 in Kyoto, Japan. At the age of 17, he was formally ordained as a Buddhist monk. Considering the Japanese Buddhism of the time to be corrupt and influenced by secular power struggles, Dogen traveled to China to discover the heart of the Dharma by studying Ch\u2019an (Zen) Buddhism at several ancient monasteries.<\/p>\n

Much of the Ch\u2019an Buddhism he explored utilized koans and \u201cencounter dialogues\u201d to startle the consciousness into enlightenment, but Dogen was critical of this practice. Instead, he was drawn to the teachings of silent meditation. <\/p>\n

Dogen returned to Japan in 1236. He left the politicized environment of Kyoto and settled in the mountains and snow country of remote Echizen Province, where he established his own school of Zen, the Soto school. <\/p>\n

While he proved to be a talented writer and poet, the core of Dogen\u2019s teaching was to transcend the mind\u2019s addiction to language and form in order to become fully present and recognize one\u2019s inherent enlightenment.<\/p>\n

=<\/p>\n

Hurricane Ida and its aftermath are very much in my thoughts. And the fires in California and elsewhere around the globe.<\/p>\n

The earth speaks, sometimes we listen.<\/p>\n

I hope you are all safe and well.<\/p>\n

=<\/p>\n

The Awakened One<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
\nThe Awakened One<\/a><\/font>
Buddha-Themed Haiku from Around the World<\/a>
Edited by Adjei Agyei-Baah and Gabriel Rosenstock<\/p>\n

$8.95 \/ \u00a36.50 \/ \u20ac7.60<\/small><\/p>\n

US<\/a> \u2013 CAN<\/a> \u2013 UK<\/a> \u2013 FR<\/a> \u2013 DE<\/a> \u2013 IT<\/a> \u2013 ES<\/a> \u2013 AUS<\/a>
<\/font><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

I am still playing catching up with the release of the Poetry Chaikhana\u2019s new publication, The Awakened One: Buddha-Themed Haiku from Around the World<\/a>, edited by Adjei Agyei-Baah and Gabriel Rosenstock. Initial sales have been solid, but I am still investigating the best ways to ship copies to readers (and some of the haiku writers!) in countries such as Nigeria, Croatia, and Japan. The Poetry Chaikhana website itself is patiently waiting for me to add a new page highlighting The Awakened One<\/i>. A lot of work goes into a little book!<\/p>\n

The Awakened One<\/i> is a beautiful book, a good gift to yourself and one to share with friends. Purchasing a copy is also an excellent way to support the Poetry Chaikhana. It makes a perfect companion to Gabriel Rosenstock\u2019s explorations of haiku and awareness in Haiku Enlightenment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

May you be flooded with moonlight!<\/p>\n


\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a>Recommended Books: Eihei Dogen<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n

\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zen Poetry: Let the Spring Breeze Enter<\/a><\/small><\/td>\nHaiku Enlightenment: New Expanded Edition<\/a><\/small><\/td>\nThe Poetry of Zen: (Shambhala Library)<\/a><\/small><\/td>\nThe Zen Poetry of Dogen: Verses from the Mountain of Eternal Peace<\/a><\/small><\/td>\nThe Soul is Here for its Own Joy: Sacred Poems from Many Cultures<\/a><\/small><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
More Books >><\/a><\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

<\/center>
\n<\/p>\n\n\n
\n\"Eihei<\/a>\n<\/td>\n\nEihei Dogen<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Japan (1200 \u2013 1253) Timeline<\/a>
\nBuddhist<\/a> : Zen \/ Chan<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/a><\/em>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

Eihei Dogen, sometimes respectfully referred to as Dogen Zenji, was a key figure in the development of Japanese Zen practice and the founder of the Soto Zen sect.<\/p>\n

Dogen was born in about 1200 in Kyoto, Japan. At the age of 17, he was formally ordained as a Buddhist monk. Considering the Japanese Buddhism of the time to be corrupt and influenced by secular power struggles, Dogen traveled to China to discover the heart of the Dharma by studying Ch\u2019an (Zen) Buddhism at several ancient monasteries.<\/p>\n

Much of the Ch\u2019an Buddhism he explored utilized koans and \u201cencounter dialogues\u201d to startle the consciousness into enlightenment, but Dogen was critical of this practice. Instead, he was drawn to the teachings of silent meditation. <\/p>\n

Dogen returned to Japan in 1236. He left the politicized environment of Kyoto and settled in the mountains and snow country of remote Echizen Province, where he established his own school of Zen, the Soto school. <\/p>\n

While he proved to be a talented writer and poet, the core of Dogen\u2019s teaching was to transcend the mind\u2019s addiction to language and form in order to become fully present and recognize one\u2019s inherent enlightenment.<\/p>\n

More poetry by Eihei Dogen<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

midnight \u2014 no waves, no wind by Eihei Dogen English version by Adjei Agyei-Baah & Gabriel Rosenstock midnight \u2014 no waves, no wind empty boat flooded with moonlight \u2014 from The Awakened One: Buddha-Themed Haiku from Around the World, Edited by Adjei Agyei-Baah \/ Edited by Gabriel Rosenstock \/ Image by Osman Rana \/ We […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,3,1],"tags":[2441,2440,40,117,390,962,125,276,123,1255,60,961,419,729,118],"class_list":["post-7232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-poetry","category-uncategorized","tag-boat","tag-buddhist-haiku","tag-buddhist-poetry","tag-dogen","tag-dogen-zenji","tag-emptiness","tag-haiku","tag-japanese-haiku","tag-japanese-poetry","tag-lake","tag-light","tag-mind","tag-moon","tag-water","tag-zen-poetry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7232"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7232\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7233,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7232\/revisions\/7233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}