Enlightenment poem ~ Xiangyan Zhixian

One stroke dissolves knowledge,
Struggle no longer needed.
I will follow the ancient path,
Not lapsing into quietude.
Noble conduct beyond sound and form –
No trace anywhere.
Those who have mastered the way
May call this an unsurpassable activity.


Xiangyan Zhixian

quoted in the book The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master

translated by Kazuaki Tanahashi



Further quotes from the book The Essential Dogen: