Untitled

Approaching the Chinese:
Nature sustains itself
without my words.

On Cold Mountain Road

On Cold Mountain Road
no one arrives
those who walk it
are called ten names
cicadas sing
crows don't screech
yellow leaves fall
white clouds sweep
rocks are huge
woods are deep
I live here alone
I'm called the Guide
look around
what are my signs

From The Collected Songs of Cold Mountain, translated by Red Pine (Port Townsend, 2000).

Closing and storing

The three months of Winter are called the period of closing and storing.
Water freezes and the Earth cracks open.
One should not disturb one's Yang.
People should retire early at night and rise late in the morning and they should wait for the rising of the sun.
They should suppress and conceal their wishes, as though they had no internal purpose, as though they had been fulfilled.
People should try to escape the cold and they should seek warmth, they should not perspire upon the skin, they should let themselves be deprived of breath of the cold.
All this is in harmony with the atmosphere of Winter and all this is the method for the protection of one's storing.

From The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, translated by Ilza Veith (Berkeley, 1966).

Another oral composition for Pei Ti

How can we escape from these earthy toils
Shake off the dust and leave the noise of the world
And gently swinging a thorn stick
Get home to the Peach Blossom Stream?

From Poems of Wang Wei, translated by G.W. Robinson (London, 1973).

North West Passage

1

Escaping

through the cracks

putting your

body and

mind in a

position

“beyond”

then the way

of life to

sustain that

will emerge

around you.

2

My teacher

used to say

“Don’t think I

know

everything …

I’m just a

bit further

along the way …

and we’re not

going anywhere!”

down

in/out

to

ordinary

mind.

3

He stepped through the curtain

and was     gone

no longer held by

guilt, shame,

envy and fame

stepping into the land of

direct perception.

4

Keep it

going ...

again ...

again ...

Tranquility of one's conduct

The three months of Autumn are called the period of tranquillity of one’s conduct.

The atmosphere of Heaven is quick and the atmosphere of the Earth is clear.

People should retire early at night and rise early in the morning with the crowing of the rooster.

They should have their minds at peace in order to lessen the punishment of Autumn.

Soul and spirit should be gathered together in order to make the breath of Autumn tranquil; and to keep their lungs pure they should not give vent to their desires.

All this is in harmony with the atmosphere of Autumn and all this is the method for the protection of one’s harvest.

From The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, translated by Ilza Veith (Berkeley, 1966).

The object of writing

The object of writing is to grow a personality which in the end enables man to transcend art.
                         
Ludwig Pursewarden