Bright field empties,
The mountain pass is illuminated.
A pine-bound jay calls out,
The stream’s source is silent.

(April 2018)

The mysterious mixing of self and other
Both in fact and in metaphor
Is the mind unfolding
Is life’s essence broken open.
Thought reveals mind
Energy streams the self.
Impressions appear
And leave on their own accord.
Light illumines form
Darkness, the source of being.

(December 2012)

Close your eyes, to the tangible.

Let the worldly fall softly to sleep.

Wander in your deep oasis.

Feel the spirit of creation,

Stirring.

https://bluecloudmountain.com/dedication/

youtube.com/watch

| Haibun: “a prosimetric literary form originating in Japan, combining prose and haiku… may record a scene, or a special moment, in a highly descriptive and objective manner or may occupy a wholly fictional or dream-like space. The accompanying haiku may have a direct or subtle relationship with the prose and encompass or hint at the gist of what is recorded in the prose sections.” – from Wikipedia.

Luminous Moon is one in a series of shakuhachi haibun that I have composed, where the prose literary element is replaced with shakuhachi exposition, largely from the vocabulary of honkyoku (traditional shakuhachi solo pieces with foundations in both Zen (practice, philosophy and art – related specifically to both chant and nature).

Silence has been added to the end of the piece to help listeners remain in the correlative dialogue between the poem at the end of the piece, proper, the title, and the sound element (zanshin).

May all beings, seen and unseen, be well, happy and peaceful.

For more on the shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) see: Komuso.com, or contact me: http://www.bluecloudmountain.com

Artwork by M.A.Doherty