The penetrating brilliance
Of swords
Wielded by followers of the Way
Strikes at the enemy
Lurking deep within
Their own souls and bodies.

– Morihei Ueshiba

I cannot tell if what the world considers ‘happiness’ is happiness or not.

All I know is that when I consider the way they go about attaining it, I see them carried away headlong, grim and obsessed, in the general onrush of the human herd, unable to stop themselves or to change their direction.

All the while they claim to be just on the point of attaining happiness.

– Chuang-tzu.

Eyes blinded by three poisons,
Yet once all ties are cut,
How restful.
Wicker hat donned,
Cane held firm,
How vast the sky!

– Ungo (1583-1659)

Summer at its height
and snow on the rocks!
The death of winter
and the withered tree blossoms!

Spring has its hundred flowers,
Autumn has its many moons.
Summer has cool winds,
Winter its snow.
If useless thoughts do not
Cloud your mind,
Each day is the best of your life.

– Wu-Men-Hui-Kai (1183-1260)

My hut settled among neighbors,
I ignore the noise of horses and carts.
You ask how I get along –
My mind remains wide,
So my place is naturally remote.

– Tao Yuan Ming (365-427)

Mist clears from ancient cedars and days last
forever… right and wrong don’t enter the
clouds.

– Stone House

Original Face is the reality of realities:
Stretch your hand to the winging bird.
Vertical nose, horizontal eyes – and then?
What if your mind is empty?
– Tokugaku (15th Century)

If you have not
Linked yourself
To true emptiness,
You will never understand.
– Morihei Ueshiba

The moonlight
High in the sky,
Shining through the eves,
Falls on a mind
Undisturbed by what
Might have been.

– Rikyu