Another Poem - Not two

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This is a peom I wrote after a deep meditation experience. I was

reflecting on a Zen Koan, called Tung-shan's Three Pound of Flax

 

Here is the koan:

 

A monk asked Tung-shan, "What is Buddha?"

Tung-shan said, "Three pounds of flax."

 

In meditation I experienced the nondual Truth expressed in this

koan. No separation between Buddha and the three pounds of flax in

Tung-shan's hand. (Reading Talk's I recognize this experience as

kevala nirvikalpa samadhi. See Talk 187, 13 March 1936.) This poem

was written a few hours later. Since this poem was expressing the

truth from a zen point of view, I ended it with another Koan

reference, from a koan known as "Pai-chang's Fox."

 

The nondual expressions of zen I have found to be very close to those

expressed by Ramana Maharshi. I spent the first 20 years of my own

spiritual journey studying zen and Ch'an Buddhism. I was drawn to

the simplicity of some of Ch'an, perticularly the Ch'an hermits. The

first time I heard of Ramana's teaching, I felt a deep rapport, and

his teachings have been my focus for the last 10 years.

 

I hope the zen references are not offensive to anyone in this

newsgroup. It certainly is not my intent to draw attention from

Ramana Maharshi's beautiful teachings.

---------------------------

 

 

Not two.

 

Not Buddha,

Not three pounds of flax.

 

Not this or that,

Not this and that!

 

No me, no you.

No seeker, no sage.

 

But one!

 

Just . . . one.

 

Not two.

 

 

Are the enlightened subject to cause and effect?

 

Mu . . .

 

Not two.