Dogen Zenji (1200-1253)

Wondrous nirvana-mind

Because the flowers blooming

In our original home

Are everlasting,

Though springtimes may come and go

Their colors do not fade.

Treading along in this dreamlike, illusory realm

Treading along in this dreamlike, illusory realm,

Without looking for the traces I may have left;

A cuckoo’s song beckons me to return home;

Hearing this, I tilt my head to see

Who has told me to turn back;

But do not ask me where I am going,

As I travel in this limitless world,

Where every step I take is my home.

True person manifest throughout the ten quarters of the world

The true person is

Not anyone in particular;

But, like the deep blue color

Of the limitless sky,

It is everyone, everywhere in the world.

On Non-Dependence of Mind

Water birds

Going and coming

Their traces disappear

But they never forget their path.

Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water.

Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water.

The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken.

Although its light is wide and great,

The moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide.

The whole moon and the entire sky

Are reflected in dewdrops on the grass,

Or even in one drop of water.

The Four Wisdoms

The Four Wisdoms, charity, tenderness, benevolence and sympathy, are the means we have of helping others and represent the Bodhisattva’s aspirations.
Great Master Dogen Zenji, Shushogi