Has your time arrived?

Hi,

I am a keen reader of zen poems. This week, I had some time to re-read some of my favorite zen poems. As always, the simplicity of the verses and the meaning they carry leave a lasting impression on you.

I have reproduced some of Bankei's works below:

"Unborn and imperishable
Is the original mind
Earth, water, fire and wind
A temporary lodging for the night

Attached to this
Ephemeral burning house
You yourselves light the fire, kindle the flames
In which you've consumed"

"Die - then live
day and night within the world
Once you've done this, then you can
Hold the world right in your hand"

I have also reproduced below, some of the works of Ryokan that startled me:

"How happy I am
As I go hand in hand
With the children,
To gather young greens
In the field of spring"

"The wind brings enough
Of fallen leaves
To make a fire"

"What a happy thing it is
To listen to the frogs
In the mountain fields
Stetched at full length
In my thatched hut"

(I do not know why Ryokan used "my thatched hut")

The best of all:

"What shall I leave
As a memento
Flowers in the spring
The hototogisu in summer,
Tinted leaves of autumn"

(Hototogisu - A tiny bird with a beautiful voice)

Love,

Vijay