We become one,
the mountain and me
Li Bai's Zen Poem: Sitting Alone on Zhao Ting Mountain
In the distance birds fly by
A cloud meanders without purpose
We become one
The mountain and me.
With the passage of time
The mountain remains.
- Li Bai (Li Po, Li Bo) 701-762.
According to legend, while drifting on the Yangtze River one evening, Li Bai reached over the side of his boat to embrace the moon. Inebriated, he fell in and drowned. Other, less poetic, descriptions of his passing also exist. Li Bai's poetry embodies the Taoist principle of wu wei—effortless action—and the Zen practice of becoming one with the natural world, as in this meditation on mountain solitude. Heron Dance translation.
Explore the Inner Work of Creativity
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.
