Keep your heart clear And transparent, And you will Never be bound. A single disturbed thought Creates ten thousand distractions. - Ryōkan

When you encounter those who are wicked, unrighteous, foolish, dim-witted, deformed, vicious, chronically ill, lonely, unfortunate, or disabled, you should think: “How can I save them?” And even if there is nothing you can do, at least you must not indulge in feelings of arrogance, superiority, derision, scorn, or abhorrence, but should immediately manifest sympathy and compassion. If you fail to do so, you should feel ashamed and deeply reproach yourself: “How far I have strayed from the Way! How can I betray the old sages? I take these words as an admonition to myself.”

The village has disappeared in the evening mist And the path is hard to follow. Walking through the pines, I return to my lonely hut.

If someone asks
about the mind of this monk,
say it is no more than
a passage of wind
in the vast sky.