August 15th, 2022

How long it has been since
The teaching of the pure
Essence was swept away?

Students are caught up
With the written word
And Buddhist priests are
Stubbornly obsessed with doctrine.

It’s a shame that for
A thousand years
No one has spoken
Seriously of this essence.

Better to follow the children
And bounce a ball on these spring days.

Ryokan (1758-1831)