Selections from The Zen Poetry of Dōgen (vegetarian) – Verses from the Mountain of Eternal Peace: Part II, Chapter 4, Part 1 of 2

Zen Buddhist Master Dōgen Zenji was the founder of the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism in Japan, which promotes sitting meditation as the way to englightenment. The Buddhist Master was one of the most remarkable Zen Masters in history and was also an outstanding poet. Master Dōgen Zenji was best known for zazen meditation as well as for his poetry that acts as a complement to the enlightening experience. The book, “The Zen Poetry of Dōgen – Verses from the Mountain of Eternal Peace,” was compiled by Dōgen scholar Dr. Steven Heine. It is a complete translation of Dōgen’s collection of thirty-one-syllable Japanese poetry, or waka, plus a translation of a selection of the Master’s Chinese verse, or kanshi. We now share with you excerpts from Part Ⅱ, Chapter 4 of “The Zen Poetry of Dōgen – Verses from the Mountain of Eternal Peace.” “The mountain filled with leafless trees, Crisp and clear on this autumn night; The full moon floating gently above the cluster of roofs, Having nothing to depend on, And not clinging to any place; Free, like steam rising from a full bowl of rice, Effortless, as a fish swimming and splashing back and forth, Like drifting clouds or flowing water. If you take this portrait of me to be real, Then what am I, really? But why hang it there, If not to anticipate people getting to know me? Looking at this portrait, Can you say that what is hanging there Is really me?”