One Path

The Hindu Path,
Awakens direct Knowledge,
Of Godhead and Beyond.

The Buddhist Path,
Lets go of all knowledge,
And returns to the Beyond.

These two paths,
Appear to be different,
Yet, the goal is the same.

~Dedicated to my friends who practice the Dharma.

Awaken!

Awaken!
O! Ruler of consciousness,
Witness of All!

~Dedicated to awakened consciousness.

Meditation

Derived meaning is the culprit,
Direct presence is the savior.

~Dedicated to the living presence.

The Buddha Womb

Born of the womb,
Of the Buddha,
Returning to the womb,
Of the Buddha,
Where is the separation,
Of life and death?

~Dedicated to Oneness.

Nityananda of Ganeshpuri

O! Nityananda!
A crow came and a crow went,
Yet! Your love remains!

~Dedicated to Avadhoot Nityananda

Crows

Crows in a tree top,
Laughing at the Universe,
Ca-caw! Ca-caw!

~Dedicated to One Love.

Taos Drum

A drum for my feet,
Plays the rhythm of the world,
Best when I'm still.

~Heather Ann Keller. Written in Taos Valley, July 2008.

Bliss

Divine bliss,
The union of perception,
And expression.

~Dedicated to awakening.

The Heart

An open heart,
Unifies body and mind,
Towards the One Light.

~Dedicated to the inward path.

The Heart

Without the Heart,
The body is like barren soil.
Without the Heart,
The mind is like a dark cave.
Without the Heart,
The emotions are like a dry stream.

With an open Heart,
The body is firm and strong.
With an open Heart,
The mind is filled with light.
With an open Heart,
The emotions express unending love.

~Dedicated to all those who have the courage to let go.

Old Man Winter

Old man winter,
Whispers an eternal story,
Timeless and complete.

His breath carries,
Crimson fire painted upon,
The autumn trees.

~Gabriel Lee Keller

Blue Moon

The full moon,
Effortless perfection,
Slowly rising.

~Dedicated to the perfection of nature.

Eros

I stole kisses from Eros,
The goddess of affection.
In turn she stole my Heart,
And promissed undying Love.

~Dedicated to the opening of the Heart.

Morning Meditation

When the root is healthy,
The stem will be strong,
The flower beautiful.

~Dedicated to friends and family.

Seasons

Gentle rain drops,

Drinking Oolong tea,

Fall becomes Winter.

~Dedicated to Heather, John and Paisley.

The Way

When the personality becomes empty,
The mind is naturally luminous.
When all things are seen as empty,
The original nature of things is revealed.

The Way is said to be both empty and luminous,
Empty becomes luminous; Luminous becomes empty.
Yet, the Way is constantly transcending emptiness and luminosity,
Because things are not static.

When the Way transcends both emptiness and luminosity,
Consciousness becomes enlightened.
Then, Oneness is revealed,
Within the Bliss of Union.

~Dedicated to my Dharma friends.

Tiger

A wild hog drinks,
Rustling undergrowth,
Pouncing Tiger.

~ by Gabriel Lee Keller

Winter

The snow of winter,
Buries beneath the surface,
Plants awaiting bloom.

~ by Heather Ann Keller

Emptiness

Emptiness,
Is not separate from,
Consciousness.

~Dedicated to the awakened nature of mind, which is both empty and luminous.

The Tao

The Tao,
Is a living Being,
Encompassing All.

~Dedicated to the Tao.

Seasons

Birds flocking South,
Rain dripping from the rooftop,
The seasons change.

~Dedicated to those who know.

Awakening

Like sweet on the tongue,
Sitting in the here and now,
The taste of freedom.

~Dedicated to the perfect presence.

Continual Change

Wave after wave. . .
The ocean pounds the shoreline,
From the mists of time.

~Dedicated to impermanence.

Zazen

Sitting still,
For over forty years,
The flower blossoms.

~Zazen is your true home.

Black Crow

A ragged black crow,
Both miscreant and savior,
Cawing Buddha's name.

~Dedicated to the beauty and perfection of nature.

Morning Gatha

Life and death,
Are the mirage,
Of time and space.

~Dedicated to innate knowledge.

Original Nature

It cannot be known,
And it cannot be owned,
Yet freely expressed.

~Dedicated to Dogen Zenji

Light

One flame,
Connected to all flames,
Illumines the world.

~Dedicated to the One Light.

Freedom

Just let go...
Suddenly the Universe,
Becomes free.

~Dedicated to perceiving directly.

Clear Mind

Sitting in clear mind,
Thoughts move through the sky like clouds,
While the Sun shines down.

~Dedicated to those who continue daily meditation.

question

What is consciousness?
The most beautiful question,
Only don't know.

~Dedicated to not knowing and not striving to know.

AUM

The sound of AUM,
A symphony of Being,
Life is living Life.

~Dedicated to spiritual awakening.

New One

Like an infant,
Seated in lotus pose,
Perfectly present.

~ Dedicated to the birth of the new one.

Window

Seasons change,
But the Earth and Sky move,
Only slowly.

~dedicated to those who know.

Father's Day

Late summer,
In the heat of the fields,
Melting strawberries.

~Dedicated to the presence of experience.

Father's Day

Turquoise waves,
Dolphins and Sea Lions,
Playing in the sea.

~Dedicated to the life of the sea.

Northern Flicker

A Northern Flicker,
Drumming on an Aspen han,
Announcing the Way.

~ Dedicated to those hear the call of the Way.

Northern Flickers

Northern Flickers,
Drumming on hollow aspens,
The language of Life.

~Dedicated to communing with nature.

Clouds

The clouds of despair,
Dissapate before the sun,
Of brillant Oneness.

~Dedicated to never giving up.

Journey

When all streams flow,
Into the Ocean of Oneness,
The end of longing.

~Dedicated to the One Journey.

Mind

Like ocean waves,
Shifting the sands of the shore,
The mind keeps moving.

~ Dedicated to all those who seek to see through the dream of mental activity.

Ocean Waves

Thunderous waves,
Walking along the seashore,
Broken sea shells.

~Dedicated to pondering impermanence.

God's Hand

To receive,
The Grace from God's Hand,
Open your own.

~Dedicated to letting go.

Awakening

Drinking the nectar,
Of the perfect awareness,
Of this moment.

~Dedicated to those who know.

A Crow & A Mirror

A wandering crow,
Finds a discarded mirror,
But what does he see?

~Dedicated to searching for the Self.

Cycles

Inhale: Exhale: Pause,
The cycle of existence,
Turns the Wheel of Life.

~Dedicated to the continuous cycles of existence.

Cycles

Sunrise : Sunset,
Day into night into day,
The cycle of time.

~Dedicated to the Universe.

Crows

Caw! Caw! Caw!
Raucous crows are chanting,
The joyous song of Nature.

~Dedicated to black crows.

Crows

An old black crow,
Searching within the garden,
Finds a lost ring.

~Dedicated to all those who are searching for something.

Sunlight

Morning dew drops,
Coalesce and dissapte,
As the sun rises.

~Dedicated to the Sun.

Impermanence

There is something,
Which exists before those things,
That rise and fall.

~Dedicated to Impermanence.

Evening

The evening is late,
The pathway long and winding,
The sound of crickets.

~Dedicated to the purity of Nature.

Kriya Pranayama

Inhaling and exhaling,
Each breath is a kriya,
Find your true nature.

~Dedicated to yogic practices.

Butterfly

Warmed by the Sun,
Escaping the dark cacoon,
The freedom of flight.

~Dedicated to Nature and one's own true nature.

Divine Love

Divine Love,
A river with many streams,
Flowing through Life.

~Dedicated to divine love in this world.

Mourning Dove

Hearing the sound,
Of the Mourning Dove's cooing,
I understand Life.

~Dedicated to listening to Nature.

Complete

Nature's stillness,
Before moving Earth and sky,
Is supporting all.

~Dedicated to understanding Nature.

Awakening

I am awareness,
In the tree and the flower,
In the Earth and sky.

~Dedicated to Paramahansa Yogananda.

Wholeness

The incomplete,
Within Man; is the complete,
Within God.

~Dedicated to Man's search.

Full Moon

The full moon,
Hides her perfect beauty,
With a veil of clouds.

~Dedicated to Nature.

Perfect Beauty

The inspiration,
Of nature's perfect presence,
A Robin's spring song.

~Dedicated to listening to birds.

Kriya Initiation

Sent by the Master,
The Path to Awakening,
Self Realized One.

~Dedicated to Roy Eugene Davis

Kriya Yoga

Letting go of thoughts,
Discovering True Nature,
The Self is Immortal.

~dedicated to all those practicing sincere sadhana.

Buena Ventura

Small Hispanic hands,
Row after row after row,
Picking strawberries.

~Dedicated to all those who labor and give their lives so that we may eat.

A Black Crow

Crow on a high branch,
Always looking for trouble,
Laughing and dancing.

~Dedicated to rowdy black crows.

Windbell

The windbell,
Without a striker chimes,
Effortless beauty.

~ Dedicated to the perfection of Nature.

Freedom

A Meadow Lark,
Does not think about singing,
His song fills the air.

~Dedicated to all living beings.

Meditation

Light touching water,
Reflects,
Water touching light.

~Dedicated to the spiritual practice of awakening.

The Sea

Dancing dolphins,
And soaring brown pelicans,
Playing with the Sea.

~Dedicated to the Life of the Ocean.

Peace

To realize Peace,
One must see the beauty,
Within dead flowers.

~Dedicated to Life.

Divine Grace

A West blowing wind,
In the land of milk and honey,
Brings good fortune.

~ Dedicated to the kind and gentle people of the world.

After Awakening

The clearest sun light,
Flowing into alpine streams,
Mountains are mountians.

~Dedicated to Ben Davidson, a dharma brother.

Rain Song

Grey morning skies,
The water spout; drip, drip, drip,
An old monk's joy!

~Dedicated to feeling joy in the moment.

Morning Zazen

The sound of rain drops,
Announcing the Buddha Way,
From the Temple roof.

~Dedicated to ardent Zendo practice.

Morning Stillness

Mountain sunrise,
No past and no future,
Only this moment.

~Dedicated to the Sun of Ceaseless Shining.

The Cricket Sutra

A single cricket,
Sings the Sutra of Living,
Inspite of winter.

~Dedicated to the living of life.

Pre Dawn

Walking in the fog,
Soaked to the marrow bone,
Closer to Nature.

~Dedicated to walking slowly outdoors.

Winter's Edge

Cedar Waxwings,
Feeding on Juniper berries,
Playing in the snow.

~Dedicated to Aves.

Crows

The crows of Upaya,
Wearing black zen robes,
Bow at the dharma gate,
And caw The Buddha's name.

~Dedicated to the cawing of crows.

Very Old Sanskrit Chant

Jaya Shiva Omkara;
Jaya Hara Shiva Omkara,
Brahma, Vishnu, Sadashiva;
Brahma, Vishnu, Sadashiva,
Hara Hara Hara Mahadev;
Jaya Hara Hara Hara Mahadev!

~Dedicated to Maha Shiva

Buddhist Life

Is The Buddha held,
Within? Or am I held,
Within The Buddha?

~Dedicated to all those seeking the Buddha Way.

Ventura County

Hispanic field hands,
Laboring on the hillside,
Picking strawberries.

~Dedicated to all those who labor and give their lives so that we may eat.

Infinity II

We are here,
To glimpse Infinity,
And return to her.

Dedicated to infinite time and space.

Infinity I

Released,
And held by infinity,
Finally home.

~Dedicated to this lifetime.

Ocean Samadhi

The sea is swollen,
With feminine power,
Her waves crash and roll.

~Dedicated to The Great Feminine

Beautiful Day

A butterfly,
Drinks nectar from a flower,
Then flies away.

~Dedicated to Early Spring.

Morning Meditation

I found,
Everything I needed,
By looking within.

~Dedicated to the yielding principle.

Magpies

The rhythm of Life,
Magpies strut and call,
At one another.

~Dedicated to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

Awakening

O Goddess Shakti,
By watering the root,
The Lotus blossoms.

~Dedicated to Vajrayogini

Geese

Geese land gently,
Causing ripples on the pond,
And raucous honking.

~Dedicated to winter's beauty.

Garden Buddha

Falling snow,
Provides a white robe,
Garden Buddha.

~Dedicated to Upaya Zen Center

01.01.10

Vajrayogini,

Strikes the Dharma Bell,

108 times.

~Dedicated to the Blue Moon New Year