How boundless the cleared sky of Samadhi!
How transparent the perfect moonlight of the Fourfold Wisdom!
At this moment what more need we seek?
As the Truth eternally reveals itself,
This very place is the Lotus Land of Purity,
This very body is the Body of the Buddha.
– Song of Meditation, Hakuin Ekaku Zenji
this world
is full of needles and thorns …
yet lotus blooms
Kobayashi Issa
The rain has stopped, the clouds have drifted away,
and the weather is clear again.
If your heart is pure, then all things in your world are pure.
Abandon this fleeting world, abandon yourself,
Then the moon and flowers will guide you along the way.
– Ryokan
Reelfoot Lake Lotus
photography by Lisa Ernst
My offering so small, incomplete
and stained with tears
Is embraced by this moment
by the songbird
A wide open place
for a heart
imperfect and broken
But welcome and given
room to be just what it is
This, the place of
peace, of true love.
– Lisa Ernst
Blackbird in Lotus – photography by Lisa Ernst
First blooming in the Western Paradise,
The lotus has delighted us for ages.
Its white petals are covered with dew,
its jade green leaves spread out over the pond,
And its pure fragrance perfumes the wind.
Cool and majestic, it raises from the murky water.
The sun sets behind the mountains
But I remain in the darkness, too captivated to leave.
– Ryokan
Lotus at Reelfoot Lake
photography by Lisa Ernst
Last week I made my third trip to Reelfoot Lake to photograph the amazing lotus flowers. I blogged about it and included a number of photos at my art blog, Lisa’s Art News. To read the post and see the photos, go here.
The Lotus Blooms in The Mud 