I've looked for the past
I've looked for the future
what I'm still missing
is the present
Why is it so hard
to see all things
as they truly are
How hard could it be
to dispell a bit of darkness
little firefly
The sky up there
is filled with clouds
untill you catch a glimpse
of the ever clear sky
down below
A few clouds in the sky
whom none would ask
how, where and why
a few clouds in the sky
just being as they are
Now, when sitting here
drinking from my cup
all things seem to have
tea-like nature
I have a thousand problems
ignorance and self-centeredness
are all of them
Until I have finally
uprooted all clinging
of this existence
I may still think of you
every now and then
Learning to meditate
in a peaceful place
is like learning to drive
in a simulator
There aren't many
things in this world
there aren't really
even two
that's why it's easy
to know them all
The clouds are
no less real
than the blue sky
why despise one
and cling to
the other?
The sweet scents
of blooming flowers
make it all up for
the cold evening wind
Tough choice for a composer
whether to stand and hold the pose
or lie down and decompose
Apart from the kettle on the stove
there's not much to behold
in the sudden april cold
Oh the clear white light
let's not be strangers
anymore
One may never
trully describe
even simplest things
like the pine tree
on a city meadow
or the new moon
in the sky
When without
self-clinging
everything is
naturally
beautiful
All is blue
and green
then orange
makes me wonder
why not cucumber
It never fails
to amuse me
how I always
recognize myself
in the mirror
Isn't it that
the feel of nostalgia
for our younger self
might not be coming
from our grasping
for permanence
but from the wish
for a less convoluted
and pretentious state
of mind?
There's a strange movie
must be the best in the world
after some 37 years of watching
I still don't seem
to get enough...
Having a motivation
of pure selflessness
doesn't make a difference
it makes all the difference
A moment of clear awareness
is more precious than
a lifetime of gold
a second of pure perception
is a lifetime on its own
What is gravel
if not a mountain
with a free spirit
All finished
what to do?
Where there's no hole
time gets through
The reason for "I"
is to become you
For A.
You have no idea
my old friend
how many times
(including now)
the simple goodness
of your pure heart
has shown me the way
Although I never managed
to rise up to it
How much time is there left
to right the wrongs
up the downs
or leave the center
The clouds passing by
cars on the street
heading for the sun
above the horizon
to ask about the news
and how long have the moon
been borrowing its light
It’s not my place to shine
said the moon
pointing at you
its mirror-like wisdom
Let me teach you a drinking game
which is a real fun to play
it has only two simple steps
first you make tea and then drink it
Listening to birds arguing
often makes me wonder
do they hear human quarrels
the same way we hear theirs?
What is truly worth
making all the difference
when a half becomes whole
by merely a passing resemblance
of a thought
Strange things happen at 2:25pm
From the valley down below
some church bells keep ringing
already for at least five minutes now
up here the birds are singing
undisturbed by this human invention
that just won’t shut up
god knows why...
But might it sound funny
let’s be patient with religions
for you can never know
who may one day recognize whom
as their true god
though I can frankly tell you, friends
if I were a god
I couldn’t care less
Nothing
shall never disturb
the focus of the mind
shall never disturb
Nothing
Like a timeless in a whirl
of temporal continuum
ever so eager to learn
about all those yesterdays
that have yet to come
Our Life is never lost
once we give up living off hope
and stop looking at the world
through a periscope
My feet touch the ground
where they have never been
yet still they seem to fit
in previous footprints
My eyes see the sky
they have seen many times
yet still they seem to have
no recollection of it
My mind thinks of things
completely normal to my mind
yet still I keep searching
for something special
Gone in the wild again
for there’s no coming back
without going forth
holding moonbeams at arm’s length
there’s no ‘entering Suchness’
of that definition
Though the future often reveals
in the falling darkness
of the autumn evening hours
its seed syllable
Head of a decapitated buddha
rests on a pedestal at the window
among other forgotten trophies
of today’s buddhists
Who would have thought… I say to myself
when I look at it by today’s eyes
once you learn to sit peacefully
you can truly enjoy
those days of running wild
What’s the definition of a longtime
is it a feeling which I don’t get
perhaps a void in one’s own mind
days or lifetimes they try to forget
For the beauty around
that comes with april days
my unwanted heart thanks
And I thank my unwanted heart
for the simple and peaceful life
that I’ve been granted
Amidst useless garbage
where we throw away our dreams
some may also find
the true nature of Nothing
How many good todays
were sacrificed to our search
for the elusive potion
of “a better tomorrow”
From the land of wisdom
by birth we descend
and back thru pure effort
by knowing we transcend
One time in the sunlight
and one sees their own way
away from greedy constructs
that wisdom lets us disobey
One moment in time it took
in the small bench-table park
of the imperial complex of Kyoto
that gave life to many of my poems
felt like a dream, gone and distant
overridden by all the european grey
a dream that never happened
however now that I am back
everything else feels like a dream
All is but a dream, constantly changing
altho’ just for a tiny moment
this one is laced with reality
until it wears off and becomes
a dream that never happened
I sat where I used to sit
in the early springs
later taken over by midsummers
but the only thing familiar now
is the old bench and the pine tree
glittering in the moonlight
my frozen thoughts try to convince me
that summer is a state of mind
till they finally lose the argument
and I go back inside
light up the fireplace
and thank my karma
that all I have to worry about
is a load of sentimental attachment
Falling and standing up
you rebel against gravity
falling and standing up
you rebel against nothing
ever-present is the wisdom
wisely unaware of awareness
that rises from
falling and standing up
Far on the vast ocean
no land anywhere
but you find yourself
a small drop
on a floating island
of dreams and illusions
The carelessness of people
who do not realize
their whole life clings to
a single breath
How beautiful is the body
of a lady in its springtime bloom
if only could it keep her company
when the winter comes
The farther are two opposites
the shorter is the distance
between them
We often consider moments
of peace and clarity
to be fragile and impermanent
when in fact, it’s been always us
Luxury and desolation
have known each other
since the dawn of us
they are so good friends
they often share a house
If emotions were real
how could then the paradise
be destroyed by one cigarette?
You might think my looking at you
must be lustful and creepy
but now when the desire is gone
I finally have time to truly see
the immense depth of your beauty
I often wonder
wether blind people
are less prone
to delusions
The key to not screwing
your past and future
is to not screw
your present
The letter [ya] appeared
on the shelf above my head
what sign does it bring?
“Go and be useful” then said
the letter W above my head
If you believe there’s a difference
between illusion and delusion
you live in illusion
if you believe there isn’t one
you live in delusion
What’s well known?
all we know about everything
what’s mostly unknown?
the true nature of all things
Clear perception is
when all you need
for sitting
is your ass
I come and sit down
by the urge to stay
and then I leave
by the urge to go away
The most suitable place
to cultivate patience
with all human beings
is far away from them
Welcome to the club
of time travelers
involuntary time travelers
to the future
These days when
waking up doesn’t come
we keep dreaming
of reality
Your faith is unshakable
you never doubt the way
my friend, you are
a prisoner of concept
If you wish to live your life
on the highest levels
you risk spending it
in the elevator
What if Life
is fair and square
and only buddhists
got stuck in a circle
Life is that thing
that runs us over
when we stop
paying attention
Happiness is
what you feel
when you forget
to worry
All dreams are like clouds
blocking the sunlight
Once gone and forgotten
our hearts may finally be
undisturbed
You, who managed
to reach the end
of good old infinity
let me introduce you
for the first time
to your true self
The leaves are leaving
and then will come again
there’s no need to worry
for the time in between
When there are
no blank pages left
all the writers will
finally be free
Why is Silence
by some mostly cherished
as the wisdom, penetrating all
and by others deeply dreaded
like the moonlight coming
thru a mountain wall
By freeing you
I shall free myself as well
attachment makes us only suffer
in ignorance and anger
it will always dwell
We have so many
pseudospiritual cults
for truly realized masters
do not have
what most people seek
I’ve always cherished
every mistake I made
hoping to learn from it
How delusional of me
Of the ultimate truths
we have quite a collection
thinking every morning
which one shall we wear today
Observing all of you, lovers
I find much comfort
in the peaceful union
with myself
Politicians often are
masters of a special kind
of magical arts, called
delusionists
Modern lifestyle
Watching the Sun at noon
half way down to the horizon
one can’t stop wondering
when did that happen…
Such a beautiful connection
when steaming water
fills the Universe
of a little cup
resistance is futile
I would surrender
my very last spoon
of tealeaves
I think about
becoming an archer
so I can learn to recognize
the time to let go
Happiness is
forgetting one’s self
before spending a lifetime
searching for it first
Perhaps one day
I will award myself
The most faithful reader
of my poetry
How to be
your own doctor
when the patient
is missing
How many protesters
are killed
by falling boxes filled
with the Bill
of human rights
Just for a moment
in the pool of the Sun
we shall dive
Soon it’ll all be over
you’ll go back
to your boring lives
The way of buddhas
often lead to nowhere
if accompanied
by Buddhism
I learn to recognize
the True nature
sitting up straight
because I’m too lazy
to spend my life running
after misconceptions
I pioneered the notion
I had said too much
just to end up sitting
on dried out ocean
suggesting I haven’t
said enough
Fish out of water
on the vast ocean
just popped up
a little boat
Making wars
avoiding the guilt
we turn away our gaze
but poor old Moon
is always watching
Holding the skull
on the top of my beads
"To be or not to be…"
that never was the question
I asked my ego
how are you so unique
when everything you feel
has been felt before