Three Poems by Stonehouse (tr. Red Pine)

A round head and square robe constitute a monk
behold a descendant of Shakyamuni Buddha
stopping wrongs and evils taming the horse of will
banishing thoughts and schemes caging the monkey mind
refining his true nature until its pure gold
keeping the mystic source warm as jade
give him a pull but he won't budge
only when he's willing is he friendly

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To get to the end the very end
let it all go let it go
saliva builds on the lips
moss grows thick on an ancient pond
a wooden horse flashes through the clouds
a clay ox thunders beneath the sea
a moonlit night on a thousand snowy peaks
a hidden scent says spring has reached the winter plum

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Scorpion tails and wolf hearts overrun the world
everyone has a trick to get ahead
but how many smiles in a lifetime
how many moments of peace in a day
who knows a toppled cart means try another track
when trouble strikes there is no time for shame
this old monk isn't just talking
he's trying to remove your obstacles and chains

- from The Zen Works of Stonehouse: Poems and Talks of a 14th Century Chinese Hermit (Counterpoint 1999)

Songs of Kabir (translated by Arvind Krishna Mehrotra)

Answer this and do it quickly,
If you care at all for your devotee

Who's greater?
The lord of the universe
Or the one who made him?
The Vedas
Or their source?
The mind
Or what the mind believes in?
Rama
or Rama's supplicant?

The question that's killing me, says Kabir,
Is whether the pilgrim
Or the pilgrim town is greater?

KG 27
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The yogi's a solitary

He doesn't go on pilgrimages
Or to religious fairs
Or attend congregations
He doesn't keep fasts

He doesn't have a travel bag
Or utensils to cook in
Or a plate to eat from
He doesn't carry a purse
He doesn't rub
His body with ash

He doesn't have an alms bowl
But never goes hungry
At night
After his wanderings
He returns to his house
And sleeps in the courtyard

You can't meet him
Says Kabir
He's left the country
We're citizens of
And he's not coming back

K.GG 3.6 Arvind Krishna Mehrotra