Splash

Aigua Blava Beach, Begur, Spain. Photo by Peter Müller. Suppose there were a pool of water—clear, limpid, and unsullied. A man with good eyesight standing there on the bank would see shells, gravel, and pebbles, and also shoals of fish swimming about and resting. Why is that? Because of the unsullied nature of the water. […]

Two Masters on the Great Expanse (A Collage Poem)



Why make so much of fragmentary blue1
What we call ‘mind’ is not something that exists elsewhere;2

 in here and there a bird, or butterfly,1
so without being swept away and following wherever it leads,2

or flower, or wearing-stone, or open eye,1
look directly into its face, its very own essence—2

when heaven presents in sheets the solid hue?1
at that […]

It’s Good to be Mediocre

From Peanuts LLC Master Jingzong; English translation by Foying, edited by Jingxing I’ve grown fond of the Chinese character Ping (平). To describe someone as Ping Yong (平庸) (mediocre) is rather unflattering, isn’t it? Not necessarily so. To be mediocre is fine: just ordinary and moderate. Being mediocre means of only average quality, but aren’t we all […]