More Poetry, Less Prose

Zen Lessons 2025 6 11

I had some recent mystical experiences that have me rethinking my religious assumptions.

Kidding, of course.

But… Community Zen and with it, the Experience Studio is developing steadily. I have decided to focus on poetry in these pages, with an occasional commentary, for the next several weeks. I hope to post two poems a week, one a “pointing”poem, that directly indicates Buddhist experience, and one that is more “just about poetry”.

There are times in Buddhist life, especially in a lay life like mine, when a person just has to bring the basics up front again: for me it is meditation, poetry, garden & body practice.

The Experience Studio and Community Zen are focused on developing and promoting programs for this Fall. I have found myself utterly stuck when I try to write here about practice and Buddhist things. So instead, back to poetry.

And, as Shishuang sharply told Yanqi (in one of my favorite Zen exchanges):

“There are a lot of administrative affairs requiring attention. Go do them.”

This is a koan, really. How do we prioritize what’s got to be done? How do we choose what comes first? After some consultation with my teacher I concluded that getting all this administrative stuff sorted out is first, along with my meditation and martial arts practice. These pages will reflect those primary experiences.

Thanks for reading… I look ahead to the surprises in the new poems.