Ikkyu poem
The vagaries of life,
Though painful,
Teach us
Not to cling
To this floating world.
Why do people
Lavish decoration
On this set of bones,
Destined to disappear
Without a trace?
The original boyd
Must return to
Its original place.
Do not search
For what cannot be found.
No on really knows
The nature of birth
Nor the true dwelling place.
We return to the source
And turn to dust.
Many paths lead from
The foot of the mountain,
But at the peak
We all gaze at the
Single bright moon.
If at the of our journey
There is no final resting place,
Then we need not fear
Losing our way
No beginning
No end
Our mond
Is Born and dies:
The emptiness of emptiness
Relax,
And the mind
Runs wild;
Control the world
And you can cast it aside.
Rain, Hail, snow, and ice:
All are different,
But when they fall
They become the same water
As the valeey stream.
The ways of proclaiming
The Mind all vary
But the same heavenly truth
Can be seen
In each and every one.
Cover your path
With fallen pine needles
So no one will able
To locate your
True dwelling place
How vain,
The endless funerals at the
Cremation grounds of Mount Toribe!
Don't the mourmers realize
That they will be next?
"Life is fleeting!"
We think at the sight
Of smoke drifing from Mount Toribe,
But When will we realize
That we are in the same boat?
All is in vain!
This morning,
A healthy friend;
This evening,
A wisp of cremation smoke.
What a pity!
Evening smoke from Mount Toribe
Blown violently
To and fro
By the wind.
When burned,
We become ashes,
And earth when buried.
Is it only our sins
That remain behind?
All the sins
Committed
In the Three Worlds
Will fade away
Together with me
Ikkyu Sojun (1394-1481)
Though painful,
Teach us
Not to cling
To this floating world.
Why do people
Lavish decoration
On this set of bones,
Destined to disappear
Without a trace?
The original boyd
Must return to
Its original place.
Do not search
For what cannot be found.
No on really knows
The nature of birth
Nor the true dwelling place.
We return to the source
And turn to dust.
Many paths lead from
The foot of the mountain,
But at the peak
We all gaze at the
Single bright moon.
If at the of our journey
There is no final resting place,
Then we need not fear
Losing our way
No beginning
No end
Our mond
Is Born and dies:
The emptiness of emptiness
Relax,
And the mind
Runs wild;
Control the world
And you can cast it aside.
Rain, Hail, snow, and ice:
All are different,
But when they fall
They become the same water
As the valeey stream.
The ways of proclaiming
The Mind all vary
But the same heavenly truth
Can be seen
In each and every one.
Cover your path
With fallen pine needles
So no one will able
To locate your
True dwelling place
How vain,
The endless funerals at the
Cremation grounds of Mount Toribe!
Don't the mourmers realize
That they will be next?
"Life is fleeting!"
We think at the sight
Of smoke drifing from Mount Toribe,
But When will we realize
That we are in the same boat?
All is in vain!
This morning,
A healthy friend;
This evening,
A wisp of cremation smoke.
What a pity!
Evening smoke from Mount Toribe
Blown violently
To and fro
By the wind.
When burned,
We become ashes,
And earth when buried.
Is it only our sins
That remain behind?
All the sins
Committed
In the Three Worlds
Will fade away
Together with me
Ikkyu Sojun (1394-1481)