The Walk of Ten Thousand Steps

2011-12-01T00:08:00.001+08:00

Sitting on the grass at the amphitheater,
I listen to the mellow sound of the carillon.
Children playing by. Birds in flight.
But the sun is setting so soon.

2011-11-05T02:04:00.001+08:00

the neighbor's cat I daily feed
delivered it this evening
-- mouse by the doorstep

2011-08-01T02:34:00.000+08:00

one...
two...
three sparrows
by a puddle left by the storm

2011-07-25T23:57:00.002+08:00

watching my shadow,
I see the shadow
of a falling leaf

2011-06-11T23:11:00.001+08:00

by itself
it is beautiful
this one piece
of a jigsaw puzzle --
why bother to look
for the big picture?

2011-05-21T10:41:00.001+08:00

black plums begin to ripen,
a bee hovers by...
what end of the world?

2011-05-07T22:35:00.000+08:00

summer heat --
sparrows everywhere

Origamist

2011-04-20T10:49:00.001+08:00

like a piece of paper
blown by the wind,
drifting over fields and cities,
I long for you
to hold me,
fold and unfold me,
turn me into something
anything
at your will

2011-04-11T01:28:00.001+08:00

the shape of a smile
the moon tonight

2011-03-04T15:29:00.000+08:00

at the beginning of summer,
rain

2010-12-27T23:40:00.000+08:00

bird photography day --
just a falling leaf

2010-12-15T10:45:00.003+08:00

folding and unfolding --
origami
the universe is

Here's my latest origami creation: a turtle -- simpler fold, sturdier body

2010-11-29T03:28:00.001+08:00

waiting for the roasted fish,
we feed a bunch of koi

[at Paisdaan, a floating restaurant]

Sri Lanka: two images

2010-11-04T22:46:00.003+08:00

1.
sea waves
roll with sand as if building
the shore
and pound on rocks
like breaking them

2.
pre-flight --
a crow perched
on the plane

2010-09-19T16:06:00.000+08:00

sparkling sea --
a silvery fish hangs
in the net

2010-09-18T01:18:00.002+08:00

everything
I enjoyed viewing
is gone-- fog

2010-09-05T15:59:00.000+08:00

daybreak --
the ceaseless sound of a river is joined
by the crow of a rooster

Visiting Gohang

2010-09-04T18:23:00.006+08:00

rain is gone: I go now and tell everyone
Gohang makes
fine lemongrass wine

Gohang is not in the tourist map that a lady worker in a Banaue lodge and restaurant showed me last Thursday. She explained that only those places with tourist attractions are included in the map, and probably there’s nothing of such to see in Gohang. “It’s not far from here though.” she added. The next day, with the help of a number of people we met and asked along the way, we got to the place in less than an hour.

asked where Gohang is,
two girls point
in opposite directions

Manong Jun, our host, was waiting for us at the junction. We drove through a steep and narrow mountain road. Finally. a short walk to our meeting venue: his house which he earlier described as ‘mountain hut’ but, for me, it was more like a nice spacious log cabin.

Our meeting lasted for nearly seven hours, over cups of lemongrass tea. We paused for lunch, for which was served a chicken stuffed with lemongrass. After meal, he toured us in his backyard and showed us a lemongrass wine making facility run by a cooperative. Production, he explained, is not yet on a commercial scale. Just enough to make people busy. In my mind, though, it’s a promising industry. Most of all, the story and vision of the local people behind the project are worth any tourist’s time and attention.

2010-08-31T15:46:00.001+08:00

how soothing
the sound of her nose flute,
a mountain lady
widowed by war

2010-08-31T05:08:00.001+08:00

thoughts of tomorrow --
a sparrow took them away
on its flight

Conversation with a Japanese

2010-08-25T03:18:00.003+08:00

On plans to visit Buddhist temples:

as soon as he said
Kyoto,
I began thinking
of Kyoto

2010-08-18T10:25:00.001+08:00

in and out
all around me
day by day,
impermanence

2010-07-24T15:55:00.000+08:00

daybreak --
more and more
street noise

2010-07-15T02:05:00.002+08:00

the storm is gone
but the tiny black bug refuses
to leave my room

2010-07-03T13:53:00.002+08:00

when it's autumn,
who can keep the leaves
from falling?

2010-06-20T17:04:00.001+08:00

one breath --
the bee, flower
and me

2010-05-20T17:21:00.001+08:00

rush, rush
everything is rush --
cicada

2010-04-10T14:09:00.002+08:00

I'm done with baby-sitting.
I go up to my room
and read verses from the Imagists
till I myself fall asleep
on my white monoblock chair.

Luneta

2010-04-04T11:22:00.004+08:00

with an SLR
hanging down my neck,
I walk the park
where men make a living
with their old cameras

2010-04-04T10:57:00.000+08:00

Easter Sunday --
the election campaign
is alive again

2010-03-25T01:27:00.000+08:00

wading on mud
the egret
in such whiteness

2010-03-18T00:47:00.001+08:00

the water lily
in a tranquil pond is like
a long lost friend,
stretching his arms
ready to hug me

2010-03-03T22:30:00.000+08:00

Tonight, I
carry a child in my arms,
the full moon
in her eyes

Like a Cat

2010-02-21T23:19:00.001+08:00

She walks quietly like a cat;
she sits on the sofa quietly like a cat
watching her favorite soap opera.

How she loves fish,
eating it with her bare hand.

And when she’s told to leave the house,
she obliges
walking out the door
quietly like a cat.

But, sooner than you expect it,
she’s back, walking to her bed
quietly like a cat.

2010-02-15T00:04:00.002+08:00

Valentines night --
reading love poems
alone

Oneness

2010-02-11T00:48:00.001+08:00

1.

’tis not enough
that you know or believe in
the oneness of things;
you’ve got to feel or experience
being part of it — that is zen

2.

how does one
experience the oneness
of all things?
empty your cup
and let nature fill it

3.

when nature
has filled your cup
you’ll feel
compassion for everyone
and everything in the world

2010-01-16T18:37:00.002+08:00

Here in this village,
as in all other villages,
people mainly plow, sow and reap.

Visiting after many years
in the season of harvest, I see
nothing much has changed, except that

by the rice fields
there’s much more
space for the dead.

2009-12-31T05:40:00.000+08:00

what's left of
the grand fireworks display --
still full moon

2009-12-27T09:26:00.001+08:00

alone,
hearing only the sea;
listening,
I become
one with the sea

2009-12-26T16:58:00.000+08:00

on a day of mourning,
here I am
watching egrets

2009-12-25T09:59:00.001+08:00

Christmas eve –
short of coins for
the next carolers

2009-12-04T14:19:00.000+08:00

everyday, truth unfolds --
cold December breeze

2009-10-25T15:43:00.000+08:00

slowly the sun climbs --
dew on grass

mother

2009-10-22T22:22:00.001+08:00

the source of my strength,
soon she turns 80

2009-10-17T09:18:00.001+08:00

climate change forum
summed up --
calla lily in a glass jar

2009-10-10T15:18:00.003+08:00

the car has left,
my little nieces out of sight;
only then did I leave the gate

2009-10-05T10:40:00.001+08:00

the interbeing that I am,
how can I be alone?

2009-10-04T17:34:00.000+08:00

today
fifty years of my life ends;
nothing special

2009-10-02T06:25:00.002+08:00

flooded rice field
sigh. no egrets in sight

2009-09-29T13:42:00.000+08:00

sleepless, I read zen poems;
all the more I am awake.

2009-09-25T03:55:00.000+08:00

a world shrunk by technology --
how can war in a faraway land
not affect me?

2009-09-13T17:58:00.000+08:00

a long journey --
I stopped to rest by a pond
just in time
to see a raindrop from the distant sky
touch the water and make a lovely ripple

2009-09-01T23:26:00.001+08:00

in a foreign land
no network coverage --
cowbells

2009-07-26T06:18:00.000+08:00

dawn --
sound of the last raindrops
falling on the roof

2009-07-25T00:33:00.000+08:00

why would I waste time
thinking of my past life?
there's not even enough
to savor all the goodness there is
in the present moment

2009-07-19T17:28:00.001+08:00

empty in the morning,
at midday my waste basket is filled
with origami papers

My Original Origami Creations

2009-07-19T02:14:00.004+08:00

No haiku at the moment..
Instead, you may want to view my original origami creations.

Good day!

2009-07-09T08:50:00.001+08:00

washing clothes
under the full moon
soaked in clouds

2009-06-19T06:08:00.000+08:00

as I gaze at
the multitude of stars,
a firefly lingers by

-- Bagasbas, Daet, Camarines Norte
16 June 2009

2009-06-12T13:38:00.000+08:00

my clothes on the clothesline --
the night rain
washed them again

2009-06-06T09:49:00.000+08:00

first day of school --
rain enters the classroom

2009-05-30T10:26:00.000+08:00

Good thoughts are angels,
bad thoughts are demons;
empty the mind
then you will know God.

2009-05-24T18:52:00.001+08:00

one by one
Java plums fall at the blow
of summer wind

Visiting Ibe

2009-05-24T12:54:00.000+08:00

no paved road,
no street light
and tonight this poor village
is deprived even
of moonlight

2009-05-11T08:01:00.000+08:00

darkness --
from the paddy field
croak, croak, croak

2009-05-07T23:07:00.005+08:00

an ox grazing in the rain --
who is your master?

2009-05-06T02:45:00.000+08:00

evening rain
I, too, am water

Picture-inspired zen verses

2009-05-03T20:27:00.000+08:00

2009-04-30T00:53:00.000+08:00

seeing it
as if for the first time –
Mount Arayat

2009-04-26T12:22:00.000+08:00

online haiku --
an ant crawls on the screen

2009-04-18T10:33:00.001+08:00

carpentry day --
a black plum tree
quietly blooming

2009-04-10T23:35:00.004+08:00

finishing a bottle of wildberry wine --
the full moon drifts by

2009-04-08T16:29:00.001+08:00

among the firewoods,
future tree

To Bontoc: two haiku

2009-04-05T23:34:00.002+08:00

1.
road to Bontoc --
amidst the quarrying
clear mountain spring

2.
drinking native coffee
on Mount Polis --
summer rain

2009-04-03T09:37:00.000+08:00

a little girl scribbles on it --
zen poetry book

2009-03-23T23:09:00.000+08:00

night bath finished --
from my towel falls
an ant

2009-03-22T14:42:00.000+08:00

under the mango tree
an old woman burning
dried mango leaves

2009-03-21T12:42:00.000+08:00

companies downscale
budgets shrink
... and these gyoza

2009-03-14T10:19:00.000+08:00

heavy traffic --
the full moon
by itself

Conversation

2009-02-28T10:00:00.001+08:00

you talk, i listen
i talk, you listen
i talk, you talk
i listen, you listen
until you and i
neither talk nor listen

Good Roots

2009-02-28T04:50:00.001+08:00

I discovered something free at Hi-Top Supermarket: a magazine titled 'Good Roots' which feature articles on Buddhist principles and practices. I guess I've missed a lot of issues already since the one I got is Volume 14, Issue 4 already. The material is produced by Amita Educaitonal Foundation of the Philippines, which describes itself as an oganization that is 'dedicated to promote compassion in our society, harmony in our family, and peace in our mind.'

What I like most in the 20-page issue I have are the vegetarian recipes -- Bean Sprout Omelette and Okra and Bean Stew, and the excerpt from 'The Book of Zen - Freedom of the Mind'. The excerpt, entitled 'Buddha or Demon, All in Thought', has this message: whether something is favourable or unfavourable depends on how you look at it.

The magazine is distributed freely at:

The Universal Wisdom Foundation, 3rd floor, Gilmore IT Center Bldg, 8 Gilmore Ave. cor. 1st Street, New Manila, QC
Chaa Tea World, 1st floor, Robinson's Place, Padre Faura St., Ermita, Mla.
Hi-Top Supermart, 36 Aurora Blvd., Project 4, QC
Quan Yin Chay, 621 Msangkay St., Binondo, Manila
Bodhi Vegetarian Restaurant, 878 Banawe St., QC
Bodhi Vegetarian Health Food, Tutuban Center Mall, Manila

Riding the Ox

2009-01-25T07:07:00.001+08:00

It is said that Lao Tzu, the father of Taoism, rode an ox to leave the kingdom of Zhou where he worked. The reason? he couldn’t stand the corruption and poor governance of the kingdom. But before disappearing permanently, he wrote the great book Tao Te Ching, the bible of Taoists.

Inspired by this story, I wrote the following poem:

Si Lao Tzu daw ay sumakay ng kalabaw
upalng lisanin ang tiwaling kaharian;
ngunit bago maglaho nang tuluyan
ang Tao Te Ching ay kanyang isinulat.
Sa nais maging pangulo ng bayan
hiling ko sa inyo ay simple lamang:
basahin at limiin ang dakilang aklat
at matutong mamuno nang tama at tapat.

Translation:

It is said that Lao Tzu rode an ox
to leave a corrupt kingdom;
but before disappearing permanently
he wrote the Tao Te Ching.
To those who wish to lead a nation
I have only this simple request:
that you read and reflect on the great book
and learn to rule truly and sincerely.

Now, in Zen Buddhism, riding an ox has a deep spiritual meaning. In the Ten Ox-Herding Pictures drawn by the Chinese Master Kakuan in the 12th century, the ox is said to symbolize the eternal principle of life or truth in action. Each of the Ten Ox-Herding Pictures represents a stage in the Zen discipline toward enlightenment or realizing one’s true nature. The picture of the man coming home on the ox’s back is the sixth of the ten. It is the stage when:

‘The struggle is over; the man is no more concerned with gain and loss. He hums a rustic tune of the woodman, he sings simple songs of the village-boy. Saddling himself on the ox’s back, his eyes are fixed on things not of the earth, earthy. Even if he is called, he will not turn his head; however enticed he will no more be kept back.’ [taken from: D.T. Suzuki's 'Manual of Zen Buddhism']

Happy Year of the Ox!

I don’t know who drew this, but I bought it from a street vendor in Halong Bay, Vietnam in 2000, when I made a presentation on the Philippine peace process in a social science research conference.

Note: The image at the top was from http://www.gnosticteachings.org/forum/index.php?showuser=3188

2009-01-21T12:45:00.001+08:00

my niece
learning to say 'bird' --
sparrows everywhere

2009-01-17T12:48:00.004+08:00

It so happens that the earth is round
rotating as it circles the sun
thus we have the seasons
and this concept of time
that we measure in seconds, minutes,
hours, days, months and years.
But this moment, right here and now,
is really not just a point in time;
it is infinity itself, embracing
the oneness of all things

Photo from the wallpaperpimper

2009-01-04T10:45:00.005+08:00

Cloudy morning -- looks like it's going to rain;
I've gathered chi. Walking,
I pause to watch lovebids in a cage;
there is warmth in their song.

Greetings!

2008-12-31T12:31:00.001+08:00

2008-12-29T13:15:00.000+08:00

thinking that I do not have
a master to teach me zen
made me sad
and I thought about
this sadness, this suffering
I thought about this
craving for a teacher
this going after zen
this zen that I do not know much of
I thought about
knowing and not knowing
until the sadness disappeared
as I said to myself
I do not have a master
to teach me zen

2008-12-28T03:26:00.002+08:00

Past midnight.
Has brother come home from the party?
Hearing his footsteps,
I go back to sleep.

Ang Tunay na Pasko

2008-12-26T02:21:00.000+08:00

Paskong tuyo sa masa
paskong hamon, lechon, keso, sangkatutak na regalo, atbp
para sa may kaya...
tayong lahat ay naniniwala
na ang ganitong estado ng lipunan
ay hindi makatarungan
ngunit kung tutuusin
ano man ang pasko natin
ang mahalaga ay pag-ibig sa isa't isa.
Gasgas na ba ang ganitong paunawa?
ang pasko ay wala sa tuyo, hamon, o keso,
ito ay nasa ating puso,
Ang pasko ay pag-ibig
Pag-ibig ang tunay na pasko.
Tulad ng hanging ating nilalanghap,
ang pag-ibig ay para sa lahat
mula sa lahat.
at kahit na ano ang ating gawin
walang makapagmamay-ari ng hangin.

2008-12-25T10:05:00.000+08:00

the first sound
on Christmas Day --
kok koro kok!

... Well, that's a rooster's crow. I tried to capture what I exactly heard, rather than say 'rooster crowing' which I had initially in mind. ''Cock-a-doodle-doo' may seem familiar to many especially in the English world, but I find it so stylized. :-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

2008-12-21T11:35:00.002+08:00

you like me for this,
you dislike me for that;
so, what you see in me
is but a reflection
of your own attachments --
what you like and dislike.

stop liking and disliking
then you will know me truly.

2008-12-19T08:53:00.001+08:00

cold, cold dawn --
from the kitchen downstairs I hear
mother frying rice

mga batang bakwit

2008-12-11T22:37:00.002+08:00

I arrived yesterday from Cotabato City,, together with the UN mission who are here to observe and assess the status of children affected by armed conflict. Reflecting on our visit to an evacuation camp in Datu Piang, Maguindanao, I wrote this piece:

naglalaro, kumakanta
ngunit alam ba nila
kung nasaan sila?
alam ba nila kung bakit
sila naririto
sa masikip na kampo?
sino’ng magpapaliwanag
sa mga batang bakwit
kung ano ang gera
at kung saan ito nagmumula;
ano'ng kahihinatnan
ng karahasan ng tao
laban sa tao?

Translation:

playing, singing
but do they really know
where they are
and why they are here
in this crowded camp?
who can explain
to the child evauees
what war is
and where it comes from?
where will it lead to:
this violence
of human against human

2008-11-04T10:33:00.000+08:00

November night --
everybody asleep
while I sew a button

2008-11-02T18:38:00.000+08:00

2008-10-25T01:39:00.001+08:00

learning how to empty the mind
this too is attachment;
let the mind empty itself
like your lungs breathing out

Tree Planting in Tumana

2008-09-30T17:28:00.006+08:00

Sunny morning, the speeches

have been delivered.

You choose a spot with the hole

and the tree that have been

readied for the occasion.

You take away the burlap

that wraps the ball of earth

containing the root of the tree.

Then you put the tree in the hole and,

with gloved hands,

cover the hole with earth.

You tie the tree to a stick

placed beside it for support.

Done, you pose and smile

before the camera.

It’s fun and easy, isn’t it?
No sweat at all.

We’ll do this again same time

next year and, for sure,

we won’t forget the urinals anymore.

2008-09-08T12:46:00.000+08:00

early morning
two sounds of life:
a rooster crowing
and my fart

2008-09-06T06:58:00.003+08:00

It's September, the Philippines' peace month. Down south, war rages on. The peace talks between the government and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front has collapsed. The government peace panel was dissolved. Last night, the government's peace office where I work gave a farewell dinner to the peace panel.

On the fifth day of the peace month
as war rages in the south
the negotiator bids farewell, saying,
"Now, I have time to smell the flowers."

2008-08-25T22:30:00.000+08:00

Time for a zen joke...

A man went to a Zen Restaurant and ordered noodle soup, saying:' I want the best soup, please.' The waiter took note of his order and left. When he returned, he said to the man:'Here's your order, sir. The best soup ever." Then, he placed on the table an empty bowl.

:-)