Home > Work > The Old Tea Seller: Life and Zen Poetry in 18th Century Kyoto
1 " ...everywhere I am is true. "
― Baisao , The Old Tea Seller: Life and Zen Poetry in 18th Century Kyoto
2 " When the mind is truly at peace, wherever you are is pleasant, Whether you live in a marketplace or in a mountain hermitage. "
3 " This rootless shifting east and west I can't suppress a smile myself but how else can I make the whole world my home. If any of my old friends come around asking say I'm down at the river by the Second Fushimi Bridge. "
4 " Pine trees rise through cloud soar up into the blue skies, bush clover spangled with dewdrops sways in the autumn breeze; As I dip cold, pure water at the edge of the stream, a solitary white crane comes lolloping my way. "
5 " The Zen Monk Kyō Has Changed His Name to Mujū Dōryū. I Wrote This Verse to Celebrate The Great Prospects That Lie Before HimUnwillingness to remain in the ruts of former Buddha patriarchs Unsurpassed aspiration and fierce passion to achieve the Way These are precisely the qualities found in a true Zen monk Attained the very moment you "have been there and back. "
6 " The price for this tea is anything from a hundred in gold to a half sen. If you want to drink free, that's all right too. I'm only sorry I can't let you have it for less. "
