Poetic Impermanence
Just a short post for today, but just a few words can hold a deep meaning. This is a short poem attributed to Li Bai, an 8th century Chinese poet, and expresses the Buddhist idea of impermanence perfectly. Just a reminder, zazen is a form of meditation where one just sits silently.
“Zazen on Ching-t’ing Mountain”:
The birds have vanished down the sky.
Now the last cloud drains away.
We sit together, the mountain and me,
until only the mountain remains.
And, one day, the mountain, too, will join the rest of us.
as a poet, i am quite taken by the simplicity yet deeply profound menaing in this short work.
it reminds me also of a mindfullness meditation of Jon Kabat-Zinn, where you imagine the mountain and then bring the mountain into yourself and then allow the mountain to teach you its lessons.
thank you for sharing ~
Poetic impermanence? Is that like writing haiku in the sand below the high tide line?
This reminds me of what my meditation teacher said: “You are a mountain, and your thoughts are passing clouds.” Lovely poem.
Li Bai was first mentioned to me by a friend from China. Her husband was scholar of Buddhism. She often spoke about Shandong and its Mountains.
Birds, sky, cloud, mountain are the lasting images-the real images- of this poem. The ‘I’ appears, fleetingly, if somewhat shyly, as if to declare its surrender to non-existence.
I will have to find more poems by Li Bai. Thank you.
often times her name is spelled Li Po. just so you know in looking her up…