No One Thought The Ancient Masters of the Way Were Special

The ancient masters
lived quiet, humble lives
No one thought they were special
No one noticed them.

I describe them reluctantly
Hidden, unobtrusive
They tried not to be seen.
Cautious, aware
As if crossing river ice in winter.
Quiet, reserved
So as to not disturb others.
Ephemeral, barely noticeable
Like shifting images glimpsed through the fog.
Simple, quiet
Like trees in a forest.

They lived in ways, places
That allowed them to retreat into
Inner worlds.

. . .

  • Everything Heron Dance does and offers is summarized here.

  • Zen Buddhism resulted from the encounter between Buddhism from India and Taoism from northern China. Poetry was an important part of the tradition of the Taoist hermit monks of the Zhongnan Mountains. The Tao Te Ching is the best known of those poems but there were thousands of others written over two thousand years ago. Many are as beautiful and mysterious as the Tao.

  • Zen Mountain Journal also draws from the poetry of the Zen Buddhist monks of old Japan.

  • Zen Mountain Journal offers a Taoist journaling practice for those who seek to connect with inner worlds, with the deep silence and peace within. The poems and paintings in these posts are part of a journal now being created by Heron Dance Press. It will be available for preorder shortly.

  • The Zen Mountain Journal is reader supported but there is no obligation to contribute. If you would be willing to contribute, please do that here.

Reflection

Mastery of one’s inner life doesn’t announce itself. The ancient masters were not noticed by those who saw them pass by. Like deep, still waters, like the forest, they simply existed.

To go unnoticed, to not seek anyone's approval, to focus on one’s inner life, takes a kind of inner certainty about who one is, and one’s course in life, that is difficult to accomplish. It takes courage.

. . .

Question to Consider

  • How would you describe your relationship with your inner world? Not with any thought patterns that have to do with fears or anxiety or desires, but with what’s below that. Cast the line as far and deep as you can. Don’t stay close to shore where the water is muddy. Cast for your deepest thought or emotion.