I took a piece of the rare cloth of Ch'i,
White silk glowing and pure as frost on snow,
And made you a fan of harmony and joy,
As flawlessly round as the full moon.
Carry it always, nestled in your sleeve.
Wave it and it will make a cooling breeze.
I hope, when Autumn comes back
And the North wind drives away the heat,
You will not store it away amongst old gifts
And forget it, long before it is worn out.
- Lady P'an

@rookie54 said
I took a piece of the rare cloth of Ch'i,
White silk glowing and pure as frost on snow,
And made you a fan of harmony and joy,
As flawlessly round as the full moon.
Carry it always, nestled in your sleeve.
Wave it and it will make a cooling breeze.
I hope, when Autumn comes back
And the North wind drives away the heat,
You will not store it away amongst old gifts
And forget it, long before it is worn out.
- Lady P'an

Among the Cliffs

The path up the mountain is hard
To follow through the tumbled rocks.
When I reach the monastery
The bats are already flying.

I go to the guest room and sit
On the steps. The rain is over.
The banana leaves are broad.
The gardenias are in bloom.
- Han Yu

https://www.dailyzen.com/

The monkey is reaching
For the moon in the water.
Until death overtakes him
He'll never give up.
If he'd let go the branch and
Disappear in the deep pool,
The whole world would shine
With dazzling pureness.

Hakuin

However deep your
Knowledge of the scriptures,
It is no more than a strand of hair
In the vastness of space;
However important appears
Your worldly experience,
It is but a drop of water in a deep ravine.

Tokusan

@ghost-of-a-duke said
However deep your
Knowledge of the scriptures,
It is no more than a strand of hair
In the vastness of space;
However important appears
Your worldly experience,
It is but a drop of water in a deep ravine.

Tokusan

@rookie54 said
this is my place in this universe...
hallelujah!!!

@ghost-of-a-duke said
As the theists are avoiding this thread, let's ponder the wisdom of Freud:

'Religion stems from the individual's experience of having been a helpless baby totally dependent on its parents. The infant sees its parents as all-powerful beings who show it great love and satisfy all its needs. This experience is almost identical to the way human beings portray their rel ...[text shortened]... delusion that reshapes reality to provide a certainty of happiness and a protection from suffering.'

@Suzianne

Darn, a theist snuck in...

@suzianne said
This same man also said: "The great question that has never been answered, and which I have not yet been able to answer, despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is ‘What does a woman want?’"

As well as: “When one does not have what one wants, one must want what one has.”

And: “The more perfect a person is on the outside, the more demons they have o ...[text shortened]... ith this hilarious gem: "The discovery that she is castrated is a turning-point in a girl's growth."

@ghost-of-a-duke said
Darn, a theist snuck in...

At dusk
I often climb
To the peak of Kugami.
Elk bellow,
Their voices
Soaked up by
Piles of maple leaves
Lying undisturbed at
The foot of the mountain.
- Ryokan (1758-1831)

At the bottom of great doubt lies great awakening. If you doubt fully, you will awaken fully.

Hakuin

@ghost-of-a-duke said
@Suzianne

Darn, a theist snuck in...

@rookie54 said
i believe in a God...
i have room to believe in several Gods...
tis organized religion of which i am suspicious...