Rays of Silvery Light: Hakuin's "Song of Zazen" Paraphrased By Nyogen Senzaki
In the infinite sky of Samadhi, the moon of the Tathagata's four wisdoms is shining, yet its rays of silvery light are the reflections of your true self.
Nyogen Senzaki (1876-1958) was one of the great founders of Zen in the West. You can read more about him and his powerfully quirky koan commentaries (especially for the Mumonkan, aka, No Gate Barrier) and more here and The Iron Flute here (edited by Ruth McCandless, also shown above).
Recently, I was digging around in the garage, looking for something for one of my sisters. I didn't find it, but did find an old manuscript that Katagiri Roshi must have given to me. It has several old translations of Hakuin's Zazen Wasan, or Song of Zazen. I flipped it open to what follows below, an unpublished (until now, as far as I can tell) "free translation" (I'd say more of a paraphrase) by Nyogen Senzaki, copied below exactly as it is in the manuscript I found in the garage. I think it's a wonderfully free rendition and it gets stronger and more beautiful as it goes.
Enjoy!
Here it is:
From the very beginning you are a Buddha. As there is no ice apart from water, so there is no Buddha outside our fellow-beings. People fail to perceive the truth, though it is within them, and they search afar for it. They suffer thirst, failing to see the fountain near at hand. They are in poverty, forgetting that they are heirs to boundless wealth.
You say that you are suffering. You only suffer because of your own ignorance. Light your prajna, the inner wisdom, and darkness will instantly vanish. That is what we call zazen, Mahayana Dhyana.
I can not tell you how zazen, Mahayana Dhyana, does its marvelous work for you. No other study, however sublime, surpasses it. It stands beyond comparison. You can experience it by yourself. The errors of the past willl no longer harass you. Where is hell? You left it in yesterday's dream. Whee i paradise? You are standing in it.
If you praise zazen, Mahayana Dhyana, you are drawing yourself next to the Buddha. If you practice zazen, Mahayana Dhyana, you are actually walking in the path of the Buddhas. When you realize that your true self is not-self then your mind will transcend all thoughts.
Thus the gate of true freedom will be opened, and you will enter the holy path rightfully. Your karma will be the emanations of Buddha's wisdom and grace. You can now come and go when ever and where ever you please, for the truth is yours, and you have nothing to do but to manifest it. Even your singing and dancing will actualize Buddha-Dharma. The whole world will be beautiful to your eyes.
In the infinite sky of Samadhi, the moon of the Tathagata's four wisdoms is shining, yet its rays of silvery light are the reflections of your true self. Now what else do you want in this world? The long sought Nirvana is yours. You live in Buddha's paradise of lotus flowers, and you are a Buddha yourself.