There is something haunting in the light of the moon; it has all the dispassionateness of a disembodied soul, and something of its inconceivable mystery. (Joseph Conrad)

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The bright thin new moon appears,
Tipped askew in the heavens.
It no sooner shines over
The ruined fortress than the
Evening clouds overwhelm it.
The Milky Way shines unchanging
Over the freezing mountains
Of the border. White frost covers
The garden. The chrysanthemums
Clot and freeze in the night.
(Tu Fu 712-770, translated by Kenneth Rexroth - "One Hundred Poems from the Chinese")

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Slowly, silently, now the moon
Walks the night in her silver shoon;
This way, and that, she peers, and sees
Silver fruit upon silver trees;
One by one the casements catch
Her beams beneath the silvery thatch;
Couched in his kennel, like a log,
With paws of silver sleeps the dog;
From their shadowy cote the white breasts peep
Of doves in silver-feathered sleep
A harvest mouse goes scampering by,
With silver claws, and silver eye;
And moveless fish in the water gleam,
By silver reeds in a silver stream.
(Walter de la Mare)

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Ryokan a Zen master lived alone in a small hut at the foot of a mountain.
One day, on returning to the hut, he discovered a thief inside.
Ryokan grabbed hold of him and said, “You can see that I have no possessions, in fact all I have are the clothes I’m wearing.”
The thief was astonished when Ryokan took off his clothes and handed them to him saying “Please take them as a gift from me.”
Later that night, as Ryokan sat naked watching the moon, he thought “Poor fellow, I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon.”

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"Moon Meditation" is the title of this short video



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“By the Lotus Pond” is updated every Tuesday and Friday.

A new blog “The Paintings of Alma-Tadema” begins on Monday 2nd July
http://thepaintingsofalma-tadema.blogspot.com

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Thanks to FreeFoto.com

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Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time. (John Lubbock)

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You ask me why I dwell in the green mountain;
I smile and make no reply for my heart is free of care.
As the peach-blossom flows down stream and is gone into the unknown, I have a world apart that is not among men.
(The Chinese poet Li Bai 701-762)

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This silk painting “Tinh Yeu”, by the contemporary Vietnamese artist Phan Quoc Hung, refers to the story of two young lovers who had to flee because their families wouldn’t allow them to see each other. Since their lives were being threatened, a kindly magician came to the rescue by turning them into two beautiful swans. So they were saved, living as swans during daytime and as humans during the night.

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Twenty monks and one young nun were practising meditation under a famous Zen Master.
The nun was very beautiful and before long many of the monks had secretly fallen in love with her.
Only one of them however showed his feelings, by slipping a love letter to her when nobody was looking.
The next day they were all assembled to hear a lecture from the Master.
When it had finished, the nun stood up and, in front of everyone, said to the one who had written to her, “If you really love me, come and embrace me now.”
And the moral of course is - If you love, love openly.

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This video was uploaded by hanonmusicmizuiro. The music is "Ballad for Adeline" played by Richard Clayderman



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Namasté

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Being Peace

If we are peaceful.
If we are happy.
We can smile and blossom
Like a flower.

And everyone
In our family,
Our entire society
Will benefit
From our peace.
(Thich Nhat Hahn)

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One day a poor farmer found a stray horse in his yard. He kept it and found it a great help with his work in the fields.

The neighbours said, “Aren’t you lucky?”

The farmer replied, "Perhaps.”

Some time later his son tried to ride the horse, fell off and broke his leg.

The neighbours said, “Aren’t you unlucky?”

The farmer replied, "Perhaps.”

When war was declared, all the young men had to go to fight, but because of his injury his son was excused.

The neighbours said, “Aren’t you lucky?”

The farmer replied, "Perhaps.”

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Lotus Flower Breaking the Surface
By Yun Shouping 1633-90

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To Daffodils
By Robert Herrick 1591-1674

Fair Daffodils, we weep to see
You haste away so soon:
As yet the early-rising Sun
Has not attained his Noon.
Stay, stay,
Until the hasting day
Has run
But to the Even-song;

And, having prayed together, we
Will go with you along.

We have short time to stay, as you,
We have as short a Spring;
As quick a growth to meet decay,
As you, or any thing.
We die,
As your hours do, and dry
Away,
Like to the Summer's rain;
Or as the pearls of Morning's dew
Ne'er to be found again.

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"The Beauty of Flowers"
uploaded by elsalaura80



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Namasté

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'Tis like the birthday of the world,
When earth was born in bloom;
The light is made of many dyes,
The air is all perfume:
There's crimson buds, and white and blue,
The very rainbow showers
Have turned to blossoms where they fell,
And sown the earth with flowers.
(Thomas Hood)

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I'll rest me in this sheltered bower,
And look upon the clear blue sky
That smiles upon me through the trees,
Which stand so thick clustering by;

And view their green and glossy leaves,
All glistening in the sunshine fair;
And list the rustling of their boughs,
So softly whispering through the air.
(Anne Bronte - from The Arbour)

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A Tree Sculpture
Thanks to http://www.popgive.com

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One day a friend called on Michelangelo and found him busy at the final stages of a statue he had been working on.

A week or so later he returned and, finding the sculptor at the same task, said “It appears that you have been idle since I was last here.”

“Indeed, no,” was the answer, “I’ve retouched this part, I’ve polished that part, I’ve softened this feature, I’ve brought out that muscle and I’ve given more expression to the lower lip.”

“But surely all these things are just trifles?” said his friend.

“Perhaps so,” Michelangelo replied, “but trifles make perfection and perfection is no trifle.”

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Thanks to bladette 1 for this video



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Namasté

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Life is a stream
On which we strew
Petal by petal the flower of our heart;
The end lost in dream,
They float past our view,
We only watch their glad, early start.
(Amy Lowell)

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Deer Park Monastery Lotus Pond, California

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When a lotus petal has filled up with raindrops, it gently pours the water away on to a lotus leaf below. Then when the leaf can take no more, the water drops off into the pond.

Someone has suggested that there is a moral here. The lotus petal takes only as much weight that it can bear. When that is exceeded, it empties the whole lot into the pond.

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"Water-Lily Pond and Weeping Willow"
by Claude Monet

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Anxious to learn more about Zen, a learned professor decided to consult the Zen master Nan-in.
As soon as he arrived, he was invited to sit down, and Nan-in poured out a cup of tea for him. The professor was astonished to see that Nan-in kept on pouring, and soon the tea was spilling all over the table.
“Stop, stop,” cried the professor, “It’s too full!”
Nan-in stopped pouring and said, “Yes, and you are too full of your own ideas. Empty your cup!”

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"Imagine" written by John Lennon is played here by Joaqim Sanchez.
Uploaded by creativelily16



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Namasté

“Blossomy of Sichuan” by the Chinese painter Liu Zhengxing

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Morning is the best of all times in the garden. The sun is not yet hot. Sweet vapours rise from the earth. Night dew clings to the soil and makes plants glisten. Birds call to one another. Bees are already at work. (Emily Dickinson)

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Kildare Japanese garden. Photo by Peter Clarke who released it to Public Domain

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Two monks Tanzan and Ekido were travelling along a very muddy road in heavy rain, when they met a lovely young girl dressed in a beautiful silk kimono. She was standing, uncertain what to do, for at that point the mud was particularly messy.
Tanzan immediately stepped forward, lifted her up in his arms and carried her on to a spot where the ground was free of mud.
Later, when the two monks had reached their destination, Ekido, who had been very quiet during the final stages of their journey, spoke up. “Tanzan,” he said, “We monks aren’t allowed to have any physical contact with females. I can’t understand what you did today.”
Tanzan replied, “I left the girl back there. Are you still carrying her?”

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The music here is “Romance Anonimo,“ played by André Rieu, his Orchestra and Singers
Uploaded by gkdnz



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Namasté

Anybody who has ever observed a lotus flower emerging from a murky pond cannot fail to see the beauty of this exquisite plant. (Anon)


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The pond shimmers and shines
as the sun descends into the horizon.
Colourful creatures glide below
Casting their shadow to the surface.
A frog skips about from lily pad to lily pad
Gracefully landing lightly on each one.
Night begins to fall and insects sing their night song.
The tall grass sways to the melody,
The wind sighs peacefully.
(Elvia Rodriguez)

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This painting by Albrecht Durer 1471-1528

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One day a young student came to Zen Master Bankei with a problem.

“Master,” he said, “I can‘t control my temper and I go into a terrible rage. What can I do?”

“Show me what happens,” replied Bankie.

The young man shook his head and explained that it just happened unexpectedly.

“Well,” said the master," This bad temper can’t be the real you. If it was, you’d be able to show it to me at any time. What’s more, you didn’t have it when you were born, and it didn’t come from your parents. Why don’t you go away and think about that.”

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Thanks to Louie Schwartzberg for uploading this video

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Most people are afraid of suffering. But suffering is a kind of mud to help the lotus flower grow. There cannot be a lotus flower without the mud. (Thich Nhat Hanh)

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Namasté

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A reminder that no theme connects the items included in this blog.

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In the pure, immaculate waters, both the lotus and the slimy scum are found.
(Sri Guru Granth Sahib)

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Painted by Yun Shouping 1633-90

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Pansies, lilies, kingcups, daisies,
Let them live upon their praises;
Long as there’s a sun that sets,
Primroses will have their glory;
Long as there are violets,
They will have a place in story;
There’s a flower that shall be mine,
‘Tis the little Celandine.
(William Wordsworth 1770-1850)

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The Lesser Celandine

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Once upon a time there lived a saint who loved animals so much that he could to talk to them and they were able to understand what he said.

On one occasion he asked a snake not to bite people but to love them.

A few days later the saint was shocked to find the snake covered in sores and bruises. The snake complained that people had been throwing stones at him.

“I didn’t tell you not to hiss,” said the saint.

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Thanks to fransgrol who uploaded this video



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Namasté

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Don’t look for a theme linking the material shown on this blog.
There isn’t one. I chose the items simply because they appealed to me.

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Spring has its flowers,
Autumn has its moon,
Summer has its cooling breezes,
Winter has its snow.
If you allow no idle concerns to weigh on your heart,
Your whole life will be one perennial good season. (John C. Wu)

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Hyakujo, the Chinese Zen master, at the age of eighty, worked conscientiously alongside the young trainee monks in the garden.

They thought it was a shame to see the old man working so hard and they hit upon the idea of hiding his tools.

Without tools he couldn’t work and so he stayed in his quarters. However, he didn’t eat that day and for the next few days took no food at all.

The young monks became alarmed and replaced the tools.

The following day Hyakujo was back labouring in the gardens and eating his food as usual.

That night he said to them: “No work, no food.”

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This short video "Listening to the Silence" was uploaded by shantiliu



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Namasté

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