Monday Night Zazen

In observance of Valentine's Day, after zazen this evening we read some of the love poems of Zen Master Ikkyu, the monk Ryokan, and the nun Teishin. Here are some of my favorite passages:

Every day, priests minutely examine the Law,

and endlessly chant complicated sutras.

Before doing that, though, they should learn

How to read the love letters sent by the wind

and rain, the snow and moon.

- Ikkyu (1394-1481)

Was it really you

I saw? Is this joy I feel

Only in a dream?

- Teishin (1798 - 1873)

Have you forgotten the way to my hut?

Every evening I wait for the sound of your footsteps

But you do not appear.

- Ryokan (1758 - 1831)

I find that last one particularly moving. From his words, you can feel Ryokan's longing, his desire, and his heartache. But even though love entails desire, and desire leads to suffering, in the end, Ryokan was willing to accept all the pain for the joy of love. For without love, what is the point of life? A hermit, he could have lived like an old withered tree during the winter's coldest months, leaning against rocks with no warmth, but where is the vitality in that? Instead, he loved the nun Teishin, and the two exchanged beautiful love poems, acknowledging the joy that it brought them, as well as the pain. It is better, they show us, to keep our eyes wide open and allow everything into our life, than to be like the withered tree or the cold rocks.