Farewell to the World

When the bottom of a barrel

busts open

this vast earth seems even wider

When one’s life line

snaps asunder

a green lake turns crystal clear

What can be better

than to grasp a pinch

of snow from a blazing furnace

& sprinkle it throughout

all human life

like travelers’ lamps brightening their night

—Da-hui Zhong-gao (1039-1163)

Translated by Gary Gach

From the Spring 2015 issue of Inquiring Mind (Vol. 31, No. 2)

Poet Da-hui Zhong-gao was a 12th-century Zen master.

Translator and poet Gary Gach is editor of What Book!? Buddha Poems from Beat to Hiphop (Parallax Press; American Book Award), author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Buddhism (Alpha Books; second edition), and translator of three books of poetry by Ko Un, SSN. A teacher of Buddhism and haiku, he serves on the International Advisory Panel of The Buddhist Channel (http://buddhistchannel.tv). He hosts Mindfulness Fellowship weekly in San Francisco. Visit www.levity.com/interbeing.

Poet Da-hui Zhong-gao was a 12th-century Zen master.

By Da-hui Zhong-gao, Gary Gach

From the Spring 2015 issue of Inquiring Mind (Vol. 31, No. 2)

© 2015 Gary Gach

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