No luck today on my mendicant rounds;From village to village I dragged myself.At sunset I find myself with miles of mountainsbetween me and my hut.The wind tears at my frail…
In my youth I put aside my studiesAnd I aspired to be a saint.Living austerely as a mendicant monk,I wandered here and there for many springs.Finally I returned home to…
The winds have died, but flowers go on falling;birds call, but silence penetrates each song. The Mystery! Unknowable, unlearnable.The virtue of Kannon.
Wild roses,Plucked from fieldsFull of croaking frogs:Float them in your wineAnd enjoy every minute!
Stretched out,Tipsy,Under the vast sky:Splendid dreamsBeneath the cherry blossoms.
The wind has settled, the blossoms have fallen;Birds sing, the mountains grow dark —This is the wondrous power of Buddhism.
First days of Spring-the skyis bright blue, the sun huge and warm.Everything’s turning green.Carrying my monk’s bowl, I walk to the villageto beg for my daily meal.The children spot me…
Slopesof Mount Kugami—in the mountain’s shadea hut beneath the trees—how many yearsit’s been my home?The time comesto take leave of it—my thoughts wiltlike summer grasses,I wander back and forthlike the…
Yes, I’m truly a dunceLiving among trees and plants.Please don’t question me about illusion and enlightenment —This old fellow just likes to smile to himself.I wade across streams with bony…
The plants and flowersI raised about my hutI now surrenderTo the willOf the wind