Dharma Library
A large collection of articles, from past issues of New Chan Forum and more besides.
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Grieving for Millie
Suddenly
The presence of
Absence
Yet her bowls still sit
On the kitchen floor
Her bed
Her donut of comfort
Still lies outside
Our bedroom door
I cannot move them
Yet
Though she is so sudden gone
I must ease myself gently
Through this grief
These things are yet remembrance
Of our little friend
Her sudden unexpected end
Death, the unexpected thief
In due time
They will be washed clean
And then put away
Like all memories
… -
An Anonymous Haiku
Written During a Snowy Retreat in January 2025
midwinter
a hare's tracks
returning to solitude
-
Five Haiku
Standing in the yard,
my face turned up to the sky;
soft blessings of rain.Shimmering orange
of the tree’s pyrotechnics;
the dark bracken rests.Backlit by a flame
I see my projection,
watchfully waiting.I look down to see
two old hands resting on my lap;
winter is coming.I was thinking of
the purity of lotus blossoms,
and slipped in the mud. -
Two Poems: Quiet Mind; Day Retreat in York March 2015
Quiet Mind
When the quiet mind comes
I am moving up steadily
Hold after hold
Rock is under my hands
Under my feet
Sky above
Earth belowWhen the quiet mind comes
I am in the midst of music
Note following note
Hands, steel and timber
All one
As each song unfoldsWhen the quiet mind comes
I am ocean floating
On a glassy board
Waiting for the only wave
That will carry me
To shoreWhen the quiet mind comes
I am… -
Purification
Look up!
Soot grey snowflakes
dancing, whirling, falling, landing –
white side up. -
Haiku
Silence…
What is there?
What IS there?Chestnut bud in a vase
Feels pain in her green petals forcibly opened
By a greedy glanceAchoo!!!
The whole universe
Broke into piecesThis mouthful of tea
Never drunk before
Nor ever againAn old monk
Slowly walking step by step
Through a violent stormFrost
Winter may come any day now
Where has the last one gone?The stream
Flowing all the time
Never tiredSprin…
-
Retreat Report, Koan Retreat September 2022, a poem
Planting a great oak at Shawbottom
and returning each year to say, “I did that”,
that would be something.
The sapling trees were ready in pots,
the spade resting against the shed.I could only claim a short-lived success
weeding between the paving slabs.
About his many enlightenment experiences
Sawaki Roshi once said,
“they didn’t amount to a whole hill of beans”.In my secret koan, ‘Tokusan’s Bowls’,
eg… -
My Sheltered Place: a Haibun
The fresh crisp morning air assails my senses as I quietly close the kitchen door behind me. The gravel crunches under my feet, yet all is silent.
I turn the corner of the street and the south-west wind rushes across my face.
I hear the sea before I see the sea, for all is still dark at this early hour.
The smell of wet briny beach is strong as I descend the steps to the beachside path and turn…
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Stories from the Zoomiverse: A Virtual Sangha in the Time of Covid
the guest house by rumi
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor…
Welcome and entertain them all!
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent as a
guide from beyond.
Communicating in a group via the Internet during a viral pandemic has been an…
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The Hiss of Light: A Haibun
1994
I attend my first Western Zen Buddhist retreat at Maenllwyd. The small Welsh farmhouse stands on a hillside at the end of a rough track below a narrow wooded valley, which leads up to a bare horizon. It just sits there, with no electricity, amidst the fields of sheep, aloof and barely visible from the straggly village some way below. The eastern horizon offers wide skies for the sunrise and…
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The articles on this website have been submitted by various authors and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the Western Chan Fellowship.
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