Zen Chaos Writing 

Numbers and Lists I find myself Trying to forget the numbers Even as the umbrella shelters Four noble truths Three marks of existence Five disassembled aggregates Three poisons and five fences Ten perfections and four sublime states Twelve fetters and equal consequences And at least five suggested commitments Under the eight steps we choose to walk— I find myself Trying to forget the numbers As it goes beyond numbers That suffering is life’s inevitability Caused by thirst and

Luminosity On the edge of a field There remains a smattering of old gourds, Not quite yet shriveled, But past their sell-by date Set out to be taken by nature— And on the edge of my mind There remains a scattering of past thoughts, Not quite yet withered But past their use value Ready to be replaced by Infinite luminosity Raining down From an expansive sky. Eightfold: Zen Poetry for Blindly Clasping Beings is a collection of sixty poems that reflect the author’s continual con

The poem Immeasurable refers to Buddhism's Four Immeasurables--for the hopeful, a prayer of sorts; for the secular, a way of reforming one's intentions towards others via active reinforcement of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity.

For those likewise caught up in the thick of it, here is an intention to set for your upcoming week: Embrace Flowing Emotions...Name Them... Throw Them Back!

I have yet to find my sangha, And yet, Intermittently, Between my cynicism and doubt, I sometimes still find Unexpected diamonds Along muddy roads Bearing overflowing cups Of calming tea.