Mount Kailash

The secret cave
Where the yogi meditates,
Lies within!

A Monk's Robes

Deaf, dumb and blind,
I stop to marvel at
Wind in the pine tree.

Oolong Tea

Steeping spring water
The agony of the leaves
Golden liquor.

Dzogchen

Beyond thoughts
The center of continuous
Becoming.

Nature

Bluebirds
And the Oneness of Nature,
Pavement puddle.

haiku

cold rain

and a greying sky,

quiet steps.

A Murder of Crows

A murder of crows
Cawing at the rising sun,
Awaken! Awaken!

Great Horned Owl

Winter's night
An owl's plaintive hooting
Echoes through still air.

Swallows

With flowing motion
The graceful Purple Martin,
Catches a mosquito!

Waterfoul

Ducks landing
Make the water look,
Like liquid ice.

California Quail

A bevy of quail,
Startled by my foot steps,
Flushing into flight.

Oklahoma

Deer prints
Along the fallow trail,
Leaving no trace.

11.25.2011

Grey skies,
The trees release their leaves
To blow about the ground.

practice poem

Pull taut the bow of steady practice,
And release the arrow of concentration,
Singing through the air of wisdom,
To strike the target of Oneness.

Lord Shiva

‎
I drink poison and
Divine nectar, everyday
Sunrise - Sunset.

Awakening

Early morning fog,
The hummingbirds were cold last night
- Joyful sunrise.

Kansas

An Autumn breeze
Making ripples on the pond,
Of Universal Mind.

Lost and Found

Lost and found
In the stream of creation,
I AM; I AM.

Hummers

This morning
Hummingbirds fly to Godhead
To play in the light!

Hummers

Hummingbirds,
Little sentient beings,
Enjoying nature's Oneness.

Hummers

Ten and twenty
Hummingbirds - dance and play,
At the flowering vine.

Autumn

The spider's orb
Shimmering in an endless,
Moonlight until dawn.

Fall Morning

Dancing jewels
Hummingbirds playfully
Vying for nectar.

Rain Trilogy

A sudden cloud burst
Rain drops striking fallen leaves,
Causing them to dance.



Gentle rain
Forming rivulets and streams,
Silently returns.



After the rain
The air is crisp and clear,
The wet Earth renewed.

Sunrise

Early morning,
The Sky and the Earth,
Awaken the Heart.

Meditation

I Being,
One Flame Being,
Shiva-Shakti Being.

Owl

A hoot owl calls
From high in an old oak tree,
"Who, Who, Am I?"

Balanced

The Sun and Moon,
Hang effortlessly balanced
Between Earth and Sky.

Evening

Day into night
The lengthening shadows,
Become the calm evening.

Cicadas

Late evening heat
Cicadas - singing loudly,
Of summer's passing.

Travel

The sweet smell
Of wet prairie grass,
September rain.

Acceptance

Acceptance of things
As they are, is a form of
Letting go.

Grace

Divine Grace
Is the birth of consciousness,
This very moment.

~Dedicated to you.

Crows

Ca-Caw! Ca-Caw!
Only crows
Know the meaning.

No Separation

The old crow
And his raucous cawing,
Are not separate.

~Dedicated to crows.

The True Dharma

Every moment is huge doubt,
Every moment is, "I don't know."
This is the transmission,
This is the true Dharma.

~Dedicated to all sentient beings.

Tree Frogs

Tree frogs,
The cadence of their singing
Brings more rain.

~Dedicated to summer rain.

Summer

An evening shower,
Tree frogs sing in harmony,
The smell of rain.

~ Dedicated to Upaya Zen Center

After the Harvest

After harvest
Strawberries rot in the sun,
The succulent smell.

~Dedicated to the workers in the fields.

Crows

I don't know why,
Crows are cawing and flying,
Beautiful evening.

~Dedicated to not knowing.

Plum Blossoms

One cannot hold,
Plum Blossoms - scattered,
By August wind.

~Dedicated to not knowing; not holding.

Can you hear it?

The Truth Bell
Vibrating through the Universe,
One sound.

~Dedicated to Oneness.

Crows

Buddha's crows
Transmitting the Dharma,
Caw! Caw! Caw!

Kai Han

Striking the han
The sound of space is broken,
Since before thinking.

~Dedicated to Zen practice.

Zazen Practice

Striking the han
The sound of space is broken,
Since before thinking.

~Dedicated to Zazen practice.

Rain - No Rain

Welcome me, into the
Limestone caverns
Of your heart.
Where waters wash away,
The sediments of time.
Allow me, with flowing
Waters pure and clear
To erase the stains of,
All your doubts and fears.


~Dedicated to everyone.

Zazen

Clear like space
the Universe is burning,
but flames can't touch it.

~Dedicated to not-knowing mind.

Fish

A falling leaf
Shatters the ice on the pond,
Fish swim in water.

~Dedicated to Dogen Zenji

Being

Gagging on words
One misses the true moment,
Of just being.

~Dedicated to non-thinking mind.

Paisley Blue

To kiss your face,
For coming into this world,
Thank you Paisley Blue.

~Dedicated to Paisley Blue Mullholland

05.07.2011

The temple bell,
Teaches the humility,
Of letting go.

~Dedicated to those who wholeheartedly practice the Way.

05.06.2011

The Robin's song,
Resounding through the zendo,
Demonstrates the Way.

~Dedicated to Dogen Zenji

Beginingless - Endless

From the begining,
The chain of cause and effect,
Until now.

~Dedicated to the present moment.

April 3rd, 1953

We carry the lamp,
Which can never be exhausted,
Buddha Nature.

~Dedicated to all sentient beings.

Consciousness

Doorways within doorways,
Each breath a new opening,
The Witness never leaves,
The Truth Bell always rings.

~Dedicated to the Dharma Way.

The Ocean

Beyond seaweed,
And the swell of the ocean,
Dolphins playing.

~Dedicated to feeling the love for life.

Non-Abiding

Earth, man, sky,
Not a single place to stand,
Everything changes.

~Dedicated to Japan, the tsunami, its victims and survivors.

The New Born

Paisley is born!
May all sentient beings,
Be ferried across,
The sea of suffering,
To clearly realize,
One true nature.

~Dedicated to Paisley Mullholland, born this day, 03.10.2011.

Enlightenment

Enlightenment,
Is like moonlight flowing,
Down a river.

~Dedicated to letting go.

Mu Koan

Joshu's dog,
Chases his tail in circles,
Mu! Mu! Mu!

~Gassho

Everyday Experiences

All experiences,
Are the essential fires,
Of Purification.

~Dedicated to experiencing life fully.

dependent origination

Throughout time and space,
The chain of cause and effect,
Is unceasing.

~Dedicated to the doctrine of emptiness.

The Seashore

Going to the beach,
A carnival of people,
And Laughing Gulls.

~Dedicated to seeing the beauty in the midst of folly.

Truth Bell

I found the Truth Bell,
Hidden in a treasure box,
Called the Self.

~Dedicated to the lifelong pursuit of the Self.

Practice

Pull taught the bow,
Of meditation practice,
Focus the mind,
Which is freed of thoughts,
Release the arrow,
Singing through the air,
To strike the target,
Which shatters delusion.

~Dedication to continued meditation practice.

Winter

Suddenly . . .
There are fewer hummingbirds,
Has winter arrived?

~Dedicated to the changing seasons.

Tea

Warm water poured,
The agony of the leaves,
Sipping from the cup.

~Dedicated to the enjoyment of great tea.

A Fly

Afternoon heat,
A fly sticks to paper,
The buzzing sound.

~Dedicated to the known and unknown.

Tea

Tea . . . surrendering,
Leaves uncurling in the cup,
Their love is released.

~Dedicated to the life of tea.

The Buddha Way

The Way is a living Being,
Our practice is letting go,
Manifesting the activity,
Of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

~Dedicatied to true practice.

Practice

The body is the gateway,
To calmness and tranquility.
The heart is the gateway,
To acceptance and love,
The mind is the gateway,
To the realm of not knowing,
Practice is the gateway,
Of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

~Dedicated to the Practice of the Buddha Way

Dharma Practice

The crow at my window,
Announces the inseperable union,
Of emptiness and bliss,
Ca-Caw! Ca-Caw! Ca-Caw!

~Dedicated to the original nature of crows.

Compassion and Wisdom

A crazy black crow,
Careening in a wild wind,
Laughing at the world!

~Dedicated to crazy wisdom and wild compassion.

The Diamond Way

The crow at my window,
Announces the inseparable union,
Of emptiness and bliss.

~Dedicated to the cawing of crows. Caw! Caw! Caw!

Winter Storm

Paw prints in the snow-
A fluffed up cat has been here!
Are his paws cold now?

~Heather Ann Mullholland

Nature

The sky of stars,
And crescent moon,
Seem to be holding,
My cup of tea.

~Dedicated to greater understanding.

Winter Storm

Wisps of clouds,
Lazily sneaking across heaven,
Hinting at the frigid air which comes.

~Gabriel Lee Keller