An Invitation

One day the World Honored One ascended the seat.
Manjusuri struck the gavel and said
"Clearly observe the Dharma of the King of Dharma;
The Dharma of the King of Dharma is thus."
The World Honored One then got down from the seat. *

In The Beginning Let There Be

Light finds its face
when you turn yours
upward to meet it.
But which of you
is looking?
Light, after all,
is for eyes
and eyes are
what faces have.
Therefore,
one must ascend
the face to be
seen as one.
So be a saint
won't you?
Suggest light
to the assembly.
Then watch with me
as everyone's hands
grope upward
to discern their features.



*Cleary, Thomas, trans. Book of Serenity. Hudson, NY: Lindisfarne Press, 1990. Case #1: 3-5.