Trudge

White snow shimmering on the peak, pure as crystal.
Footprints of the appreciative Saint, reluctant to return.
Flowing black hair and a fluttering dress,
Reclusive as a passing cloud.
Head raised high in cool detachment,
An ethereal spirit stirring the snow white mirror.
Surveying the illusory world with kind and gentle watch.

On the slope, amid dense fog and miasma,
A lonely soul trudges laboriously onward.

Wild birds chirp on,
Flickering tree shadows shield the light.
On the shady ground,
Blooming flowers charm the heart in spring.
Unsteady steps tremble amid animal roars.
Yet, his body and soul are being supported,
By the strong pillar of self-realization.

In the heart of the lost lamb is a brilliant light,
Flashing persistently ahead.
Wind and rain forge the trekker's endurance.
His faith never wavers for an instant.
Until the light suddenly dawns,
Vicissitudes of time vanish like clouds and fog.
The sky is clear and blue,
Melting the spirit of the mountain into the loving heart.

Dreaming
About My Beloved Master

Written By Supreme Master Ching Hai (Originally In Au Lac Language)

I dreamt about Master last night.
You were much more emaciated than you used to be!
Wind and frost left their trace on your robe,
As you waited at the doorway,
For the return of an old acquaintance.

Ever since You left,
I have trudged on the path, but
Not a single moment have I forgotten:
Attainment is impossible without an enlightened Master?
Your deepest love is forever in my heart.

On this island, tears blur my eyes.
Reverently, I knit these few verses for you.
Thousands of miles separate us, yet you are always on my mind.
Mountain high and ocean deep is your love for me,
Impossible to repay even with my life!

However, gravely vow did I to deliver sentient beings,
Toiling about each continent,
Spreading Buddhi seeds in all directions.
Hoping to attain the infinite merit,
Repay the four divine graces,
And save those in the three ways of suffering.
By this I wish to repay a thousandth of your love,
And your hardships in launching me on the path!

-Written during a seclusion in Formosa, 1985
Adapted from Master's Anthology of Poems -- The Immortal Poems.