| PAGE ONE Fall, 2001 Issue: Spirit & Crisis EDITOR'S NOTE BUDDHASCOPE DHARMATALK FOUNDOBJECTS GUESTCOLUMN QUOTES POETRY READING ROOM REVIEWS CONTACT US SITE INDEX SUBSCRIBE |
THE FOLLOWING POEMS come from a new collection by Eric Paul Shaffer, titled "Living at the Monastery, Working in the Kitchen," published Oct. 1, 2001, by Leaping Dog Press. The poems in the book are written in the voice of Shih-te, resident cook and janitor at Kuo-ch'ing Temple in t
he T'ien-t'ai mountains of 8th century China during the T'ang dynasty and a companion to the renowned Han-shan.
In his introduction, Shaffer describes the poems as "works without provenance, originals of unknown origins, what I call, for want of a better term, 'textless translations.'" Using translations by Bill Porter, Shaffer renders Shih-Te's name in these poems as "Pick Up," while Han-Shan is referred to as "Cold Peak" (instead of the more familiar "Cold Mountain" or "Cold Cliff") and Feng-Kan is "Big Shield." Shaffer goes on the explain:
"Shih-te was the close companion of Han-shan, legendary Chinese poet of the T'ang Dynasty who lived on a peak in the T'ien-t'ai Mountains. Shih-te lived in Kuo-ch'ing, a nearby Buddhist-Taoist monastery. Lost, abandoned or orphaned as a young boy, Shih-te was brought to the monastery by Feng-kan, another resident monk, who had found him.
"Working in the kitchen, Shih-te apparently showed little respect for the monks for whom he cooked and cleaned, but he saved scraps and rags for Han-shan, who visited regularly. The two men were wild together, and seated in the kitchen, they laughed and joked about the dharma to which others devoted themselves with silent meditation, riddles, and daily labor within the halls and temple grounds around them.
"Despite their noisy irreverence, the two were allowed the run of the monastery and environs, much to the displeasure of the other monks, and the fame of Han-Shan and Shih-te grew, even during their lifetimes. Feng-kan noted that the rowdy pair knew more of the Way than most monks and masters in residence... A literary and folk tradition regarding the two as unschooled yet enlightened men arose around the circulation of poems attributed to Han-Shan, Shih-te, and Feng-kan. Over three hundred poems credited to Han-shan survive, with fewer than half a hundred of Shi-te and four of Feng-kan, though accurate attribution is still debated."
"Living at the Monastery, Working in the Kitchen," is Shaffer's fourth book of poetry and a companion volume to "Portable Planet," published in 2000 by Leaping Dog Press. Both books may be ordered at www.leapingdogpress.com or by calling (703) 864-6148. Shaffer lives with his wife Veronica Winegarner on the slopes of Haleakala, "The House of the Sun," in Maui. The following poems are reprinted with the author's permission.
These lazy monks
raise robes to piss in streams
draining to parched throats
on the dusty yellow plains below.
There is no teaching these grinning fools.
They stare at my shouts and think
me crazy.
The Old Master was a buddha
to undertake such a task.
I'd rather talk to temple dogs
and grow vegetable from excrement.
Books! Monks and books!
All day long reading aloud,
droning dead words smarter
than they are.
What do they mean with all this noise?
The day the old Master stacked the library on the grass
and set the pages burning
he used a single flame.
Mine was the only hand clapping.
PAGE 2: "When there is no place to go..."