Ikkyu lost his love, alas
all his spiritual grandeur and awe
plummeted from the Heavens
through darkest earth
to gruesome Hell.
Weeping only tears
he felt it was lifeblood seep away
the tear drops falling from his sunken cheekbones
onto his Zen robe below.
Ikkyu is silent
he feels but cannot mindfully observe his grief
his mastery of mind destroyed
a pain so natural, so powerful
it would shake the Buddha to a broken wreck.
Zen is masterful
Stillness, joy
Peace is the highest aim
But sometimes, we just have to endure
and we suffer.
From my book Mad Monk Ikkyu:
ReplyDelete31.
A peasant stops Ikkyū
on the road to the village
and asks for a prayer
or a word of advice.
Ikkyū pulls a prayer book
from his pocket
and says,
“Buddha is the light
that shadows us in its darkness
and teaches us that nonsense
is the wonder we all seek.”
The farmer walks away
laughing