Mountain of Compassion

I am going my own way and I meet myself
Which includes everything I meet
- Tozan Zenji -

The Far East lapped gently here
In the American wilderness
In this strange land
At the foot of Mountain of Compassion

Faint rings around the mountain
Evidence the floating zendo
On the bench
Above the highway
Not far from Shoshone River

Speaker against war in Japan
Prisoner of war near Cody

Houseboy saint
Sworn to silence

Twenty years in
Houses
Kitchens
Laundries
Dishtubs
Creating a floating world

Crowded in libraries
Alone in public halls
Sitting zazen on funeral parlor chairs
A happy Jap
Mushroom in the street
Eating ego
Living on nothing
Sitting soto through Wyoming winters

Look closely!
There in the fields, dirt and sage
Lines running east
Lines running west
Rings around Heart Mountain

Subtle lacrustine lines
From a skylike mind
That lapped gently on this land
Contours of compassion

Heart mountain of Senzaki