You and I Are as the Branches of One Tree
Do you not see
That you and I
Are as the branches of one tree?
With your rejoicing
Comes my laughter;
With your sadness
Start my tears
Love,
Could life be otherwise
With you and me?
- Tsu Yeh, Tsin dynasty, AD 265‑316. This beautiful translation is by Bruce Lee, who studied and loved poetry, and also wrote it.
On Separation as Illusion
This ancient Chinese poem speaks to the Taoist understanding that separation is illusion. When we see clearly, we recognize that joy and sorrow, self and other, flow through the same root. The branches may reach in different directions, but they draw from one source. In Zen practice, this recognition dissolves the boundary between compassion for another and compassion for oneself—they become the same gesture.
Heron Communion Friendship Poster
The Tao Te Ching Journal: A Path To Inner Quiet
Zen Mountain Journal blends Taoist hermit poetry, contemplative art, and reflections drawn from a lifetime shaped by wilderness, solitude, and decades doing creative work on the outer boundaries of our culture. These journals are companions for seekers — guides in the reconnection with inner quiet, beauty, and the “soundless music” of a life lived with simplicity and meaning.
• Size: 9.25 × 8.5 inches — convenient size for desk or lap.
• Hardcover — the book can be written in without a table or desk.
• Double wire-o bound to lay flat.
• Printed on Mohawk Superfine, a premium uncoated paper for a beautiful writing surface.
• 160 pages.
