Thursday, January 16, 2025

Ed Crowley - Unknown Wanderer

 



The Unknown Wanderer

comes upon a bridge 

high in the snow capped 

Himalayan mountains 

The bridge flows as 

smoothly as the Tao

The river is as still 

as the Silence within 

beyond the mind 

There is no past, 

present or future 

There is absolutely 

no time at all, not even 

the moment of Now

The Sage is in the gap 

of Reality between 

all words and Silence 

You may find this description 

unreal and strange to imagine 

The solution is quite simple 

if you read it slowly again

In the snow capped 

Himalayan mountains 

the river is frozen and 

thus appears not to flow

The bridge is the entrance 

to the gateless gate and 

thus it’s just a drawbridge 

that moves up and down 

Those are the logical 

explanations but now 

we enter the realm of 

the mysterious Essence 

of the Indescribable Tao

Now once again

He simply sits Zazen 

Dropping body and mind

Leaving all thoughts behind 

The Sage now passes 

through the gateless 

gate into eternity 

Entering the true 

nature of Reality 

Within here there’s 

infinite realms so

far beyond mind

So you can leave all 

that logic far behind 

The Sage goes beyond 

mind to the stillness of the 

Silence within, this is where 

Wisdom and Creativity reside 

Here the Sage 

is the subtle 

Observer and 

will silently abide

He sees the One perceiving 

every myriad being and thing 

reflecting light and love back 

to Itself throughout infinity 

and attains instant Realization 

With a subtle energy adjustment 

of the frequency of vibration

A sacred secret the

Wanderer was taught 

by ancient Taoist Sages

Passed down to him

throughout the ages

He becomes one 

with the eternal Tao

Which by now 

you’ve Realized is 

the Perceiver Itself,

flowing in the eternal 

stream of the past, 

the future and Now

From the summit of 

Hidden Mountain 

Where Dōgen's enlightened 

moon doesn’t even break 

the surface of the pond 

that may or may not 

indirectly through Zazen

practice contain that elusive 

imaginary youthful fountain 

The Wanderer observes 

time as it keeps flowing 

throughout the ages

It’s a continuous river of 

knowledge that recites 

sutras, doctrines, discourses, 

holy books, ancient bamboo 

Taoist scrolls and scriptures 

that holy men of all walks of 

life drink down believing it’s 

the nectar directly from their 

respective gods, buddhas, 

prophets, Saints and Sages

All the holy men and women 

have faith in all the pages

The Unknown Wanderer 

Knows all these books are 

simply guideposts on the Way 

His mind has transcended 

all book knowledge as he has 

broken through Unmons barrier 

another successful gateway

He’s Consciousness Itself 

Simply Boundless and free 

He Realizes all myriad beings 

and things are One Reality

No books contain

the Consciousness 

within the emptiness 

of the field of Rigpa 

It’s the direct experience 

of the Buddhas dharma

Living each and every 

moment just one by one

It encompasses 

absolutely everyone 

It’s not just 

mine or yours

Realization occurs 

Total Realization 

is as Dōgen stated

“Not anyone in particular;

But, like the deep blue color

Of the limitless sky,

It is for everyone, 

everywhere in the world “

And furthermore 

recalling 

Bodhidharmas 

famous poem:

“Transmission outside doctrine, 

No dependencies on words. 

Pointing directly at the mind,

Thus seeing oneself truly 

Attaining Buddhahood.”

The Sage now experiences the

Middle Way as the Tathāgata

did underneath the Bodhi tree

As the Unknown Wanderer now 

abides in Nirvikalpa Samadhi 

The Sage looks back and sees

as Dōgen did that ‘mountains 

are once again mountains and 

waters are once again waters.’

He arises from sitting 

and carries water 

down from the

Hidden Mountain, 

the physical exercise 

simply feels good

Then arriving at 

his humble abode 

He begins once again 

to simply chop wood 


epc 1956-♾


Quotation Verses from the

Mountain of Eternal Peace

STEVEN HEINE










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