ysabetwordsmith: Cartoon of me in Wordsmith persona (Default)
[personal profile] ysabetwordsmith posting in [community profile] poetree
Buddhism is an Eastern faith. It emphasizes nonviolence and the search for enlightenment. Some branches also have a tradition of "crazy wisdom," leading to things like the Zen koans. There is also a strong philosophical component.

Linji was a Chinese poet and spiritual teacher. He founded his own school of Buddhism. He used surprise to startle people into moments of enlightenment.


"If you want to be free"
by Linji

If you want to be free,
Get to know your real self.
It has no form, no appearance,
No root, no basis, no abode,
But is lively and buoyant.
It responds with versatile facility,
But its function cannot be located.
Therefore when you look for it,
You become further from it;
When you seek it,
You turn away from it all the more.

Date: 2012-05-21 01:49 am (UTC)
bookblather: A picture of Yomiko Readman looking at books with the text "bookgasm." (Default)
From: [personal profile] bookblather
Hah, very Zen Buddhist, the element of impossibility that forces you to accept the contraditictions in life. I don't know if Linji's school had any effect on the development of Zen Buddhism, but I would not be surprised.

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