Sky Above, Great Wind: The Life and Poetry of Zen Master Ryokan

Within this serene snowfall one billion worlds arise. In each, flurries come floating down.

It is not that I avoid mixing with the world; but I do better playing alone.

As soon as I started talking with him, I realized that my heart had become pure. He did not explain Zen or other Buddhist scriptures, nor did he encourage wholesome actions. He would burn firewood in the kitchen or sit in meditation in our living room. He did not talk about literature or ethics. He was indescribably relaxed. He taught others only b

Teishin,

Body and mind dropping away is simply the upright truth. In one thousand postures, ten thousand appearances, a dragon toys with the pearl. Beyond ordinary thinking the precious tiger is captured. Thus, Dogen’s writings reflect the Buddha’s teaching.