Roshi’s New Year’s poem

The old tiger, in one great roar, shakes the ancient wind

On Gokoku mountain, the new spring morning’s light illuminates the sky.

From the beginning of the year many people gathering, for what do they pray?

For the four seas knowing true peace, giving life to the patriarch’s zen.

(The following is taken from Roshi’s talk to the sangha at new year’s first tea ceremony-honoring Bodhidaruma.)

In China this year is the year of the tiger. 

In Japan, every year for the Imperial Poetry Reading a subject is decided for the year, for celebrating and for people to write poetry about that subject this year, and the subject for 2010 is LIGHT.

People from all over Japan will write poems on this subject and the best ones submitted will be selected and published. Last year the subject was “to live” and this year the subject is “light”.

The new year is 2010 AD in the Christian calendar, and Heisei 22 in accordance with the Japanese almanac. According to the Japanese almanac each and every year has its own kharma and expression. 

These days the media is so permeating from all the news sources available that everyone knows everything, we must remember to also hold precious the differences of each area and culture.

This morning at 4:25 there was a partial eclipse at the bottom of the left side of a full moon. It was easily visible from everywhere in Japan, and it was a first in history here. Japan was originally observing a lunar calendar. In those days, the new year always started on a new moon so this would have been impossible.

From ancient times through today in any culture the changes in the moon are observed and considered. In most countries a solar calendar is used today, one more indication of how we are settled on one collected conscious way of of looking at space and time.  

This gives us the idea that time is something vertical that moves from a past through a present on to a future. We hold onto the idea that there is Space and at that intersection where space and the present cross, we exist. 6.7 billion people today are all at that intersection of space and time and currently all at this present moment. But we make our true existence vague by relying on this paradigm of space - time dependency. From this narrow view we dislike and judge other people, we are against this, and for that, and while living in the Infinite Space we get caught in an idea of a limited time and space. Actually we are free to be any spot on a whole huge sphere. We have to correct this awareness to become able to see others clearly and from this we are able to realize the truth.

This morning we gathered together in front of the statue of Bodhidaruma. I was offered the opportunity to give a poem to Daruma Daishi. The poem begins with a line about an aged tiger, which is me at this age of seventy, which officially begins from today. Although i don't feel elderly there are things which manifest now, such as good friends and people of the Way with whom I practiced, several have died recently, and of course everyone this age have already lost their parents. Our own bodies become more inconvenient, we lose flexibility, and have to be careful with our health, or we lose our grip. As we get older our body does change physically. From the olden days it has been said "how rare and precious is it to grow to an old age!" But time and space are not hard and fast set measures. We can use time and space, and not be used by them, we need to look carefully at our behaviour and activities.

So with this year being the year of the tiger, the tiger which is especially a prominent symbol in Asia expressing great fierceness and simultaneously, humans’ energetic and vast activity. This is the state of mind of awakening.

Master Hyakujo Ekai Zenji who wrote down all of the systems and rules for training in the dojo, we are all so deeply indepted to Master Hyakujo for many reasons....he lived on a mountain called Mount Daiyuho. Master Hyakujo’s disciples were illustrious, one was Master Obaku who was the teacher of RInzai, and another was Master Issan Reiyu, who gave birth to the Igyo-shu LIne of Zen. This means that of the five great lineages of the most flourishing era of Zen in China, two of those five came from Master Hyakujo. 

One day when Obaku had just returned to the temple, his teacher, Master Hyakujo asked him where he had been, and he told him he been for a walk in the back mountain.

Master Hyakujo asked him, “In the back mountain? Didn’t you see any tigers?”

Obaku turned into a tiger and started to roar at his teacher, Hyakujo.

Master Hyakujo picked up some thing that was nearby and threw it at Obaku, and Obaku pounced and knocked over Master Hyakujo. Master Hyakujo was great delighted because this was the experience of his disciple’s awakened functioning. 

Master Hyakujo then picked up something again as if to say ”Is that all there is to it?”

Again Obaku knocked him over, both of them were life on the line. To awaken all beings it has to be this kind of true functioning and energy.

This meaning was also included in his poem, in the days of old, people would always post their poems and resolutions, vows for the New Year in front of a statue of Daruma Daishi.

The old tiger, in one great roar, shakes the ancient wind

On Gokoku mountain, the new spring morning’s light illuminates the sky.

From the beginning of the year many people gathering, for what do they pray?

For the four seas knowing true peace, giving life to the patriarch’s zen.

The almanac turns and to the mountainsides of Gokoku (name of Sogenji’s ‘mountain’”) the spring also returns. “The new spring morning’s light illuminates the sky”, we pray for all people all over the world. We support each other on this Path which is that bright Light, the Truth.

In the poem he then turns to each of us, as if to ask, and what is YOUR vow? “For what do they pray?”

We each have a deep vow within, what is our vow? The dark world full of hellish misery and suffering, we can not turn our back on this world. Each and every person needs to realize their safety and clarity of mind. That each one will realize this, that is our vow. We pray “FOR THE FOUR SEAS KNOWING TRUE PEACE,  GIVING LIFE TO THE PATRIARCH’S ZEN.”, we pray for the whole world to be in true Peace, and to have the energy to bring liberation in all directions. To vow that is our New Year’s deep vow.

Poems from New Year Poetry Gathering at Sogenji, 2010

The clear Bright spring light

Illuminates the world

Renewing the ancient path of Buddhas.

Given Freely to All sentient Beings

Actualized through continuous, concentrated practice.

In gratitude we prostrate,

In joy we step out into this new year!!

Dairin Zenji

USA

The cry of a bird tears the night, 

coming from nowhere and always there,

Sun burning in full combustion,

Filling up heaven and earth,

Giving life with no intention

The power of no-self,

Liberating all sentient beings.

Domyo Koji

France

New Year 2010, celebration of Sogenji

A rare Dharma oasis,

People coming from near and far

the tigers roar reaches the whole world.

Enduring the sumer heat and winter cold,

Purifying the heart,

The vow naturally manifests,

For generations to come.

Daiko Koji

Denmark

The roar of the old tiger called,

“Don’t go back to sleep!”

Praying with every single breath,

for the liberation with and for, all beings.

Thomas Duwe Koji

Switzerland

Winter’s Sun

January’s late morning sun bites into the cold,

quietly stirs the roots and seeds in the dark earth,

And whispers that new life will come.

It is just the beginning of winter, really.

Icy walkways, fierce winds and painful fingers still to come.

A lonely silence descends with the birds’ departure.

 

Yet, there is that morning sun

Working below the ground

and above the ground

To gather energy for Spring’s return.

 

So brief and low in the sky,

It seems inadequate (even unsuitable) to the task,

Like longing and effort in the dry times of practice.

 

Mysteriously, green sprouts emerge from softened earth.

The heart explodes.

Myokyo Daishi

USA

And in the deepening quiet

through the wars we all have been,

Lightning,Vast and brief,

Cuts the grey that ever lingers

And like a red leaf in July,

We change and are the changing seasons.

In every blink, an echo,

and in every tigers step,

Freshly fallen snow.

Christopher Oldfield Koji

Canada

The full moon’s bright light greets the new year,

Deeply inhaling the stinging wind

stirs slumbering ghosts.

In the firm resolve to liberate all,

I let go completely, completely,

to the very end.

Sharing the call of the night bird is my prayer.

Rinwa Daishi

USA

Standing under the full moon,

The bright light cannot be seen,

But the voice of the wind chimes,

Evoking the tears inside.

Hope can realize the source

Kostya Koji

Moscow

Through the icy wind,

Sixty purple hands and feet.

Long for the Holy Light.

Tom Van Dijk Koji

The Netherlands

Sun, birds-nicer than ever,

Emotions, greed, and anger,

Stronger than ever,

What need to search?

Twinkling inside hidden from worldly dust,The Path,

Longer than ever.

Peter Torma Koji

Light weaving through stalks of bamboo,

Gives form to crisp withered leaves,

Warms barren branches swaying in the wind,

and yet remains itself unmoved.

HItherforth comes spring,

With light dancing and skipping on petals and greens,

All is illuminated as if nothing’s ever changed.

To be this light, I must cease to exist.

May Lee Daishi

USA

That never fading, 

All embracing 

Light!

Who can but

be prayed through by

It!

Daichi Zenni

USA

the poem of Hoetsu Daishi, USA ,

Lying down,

Looking up,

Sanding up

Kneeling down,

Sitting down,

Looking out,

Seeing and being seen,

Blue sky

Red wood

Green tea

WhiteTom

Full sun

Full moon

Empty bellies

Empty pockets

Even the blackest night

Infinite stars

6.7 billions

Not one single thing

May all see the light

the poem of Sozen Koji, Belgium

Being quiet,

Letting it come,

Being noisy,

Whatever, whatever...really really

Light becomes dark,

Dark becomes light,

GO! GO!

The tigers belly is slowly filled.