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.
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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…