Could there possibly be a greater time than today, right now, this very moment? This morning, I woke up to find the following poem in my inbox, an email from a member of the Chattanooga sangha.

In Zazen

Thoughts arise out of nothingness
And then fade back into nothingness.

Scents, Sounds, Sights, Tastes,
They all arise out of nothingness
And fade back into nothingness.
They no longer are distractions.

Delusions can be Dharma Gates
And the way to end them
Is to enter them.
When we enter them,
We realize nothing needs saving.

Everything, like thoughts,
Appear out of nothingness
Then fade back into nothingness.

Like thoughts,
We have our moment,
Then we fade back into nothingness.

Nothing is immune.
Mountains are not immune.
Oceans and Rivers are not immune.
Planets are not immune.
Galaxies are not immune.
Universes are not immune.
Life Itself is not immune.

Everything emerges out of nothing,
Has its moment of expression,
Then returns back to nothing.
Nothing wasted, since nothing is used.
Like a thought.

It's all a thought.

I hold up my hand
And listen,
As the sound of one hand
Fades back into nothingness.

A thought arises:
This thing that breathes
Cannot be found.