The Poet Monk's

Author: Si Nan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: During the Tang Dynasty, the poet-monk Guan Xiu wrote the famous line, "With a bottle and a bowl, I grow old gracefully; across ten thousand mountains and rivers, I come with a steady step." It seems ethereal and detached, free from any trace of worldly desires. For the Zen practitioners, traveling is one of their various forms of cultivation. Seeing mountains can lead to enlightenment, and seeing water can lead to enlightenment—this is what is meant by "every step is a Dharma ground." No matter how vast the sky and earth may be, in the eyes of a Zen practitioner, it is merely a inn. They come without a trace and leave without a trace, leaving behind only beautiful and thought-provoking poetry, allowing later generations to find solace in their poetic sentiments and Zen essence.