Moon in a Dewdrop

Dogen Zenji, the founder of Soto Zen School in Japan has written some of the most profound texts on zen . Some of his essay are collected in the book called the 'Moon in a Dewdrop'. The title itself is enough to observe a sense of peace and calmness. 

The following are the lines from the book which I found are profoundly beautiful, and helpful to seekers and wanderers.

Priest Daokai of Mt. Furong said to the assembly, "The green mountains are always walking; a stone woman gives birth to a child at night."

Mountains do not lack the qualities of mountains. Therefore they always abide in ease and always walk. You should examine in detail this quality of the mountains' walking.

Mountains' walking is just like human walking. Accordingly, do not doubt mountains' walking even though it does not look the same as human walking. The Buddha ancestors' words point to walking. This is fundamental understanding. You should penetrate these words.

Great Master Kuangzhen of Yunmen said, "Eastern mountains travel on water." 

The reason these wordswere brought forth is that all mountains are eastern mountains, and all eastern mountains travel on water. Because of this, Nine Mountains, Mt. Sumeru, and other mountains appear and have practice-realization. These are called "eastern mountains." But could Yunmen penetrate the skin, flesh, bones, and marrow of the eastern mountains and their vital practice-realization?

Wenzi said, "The path of water is such that when it rises to the sky, it becomes raindrops; when it falls to the ground, it becomes rivers. 

Even a secular person can speak this way.You who call yourselves descendants of Buddha ancestors should feel ashamed of being more ignorant than an ordinary person. The path of water is not noticed by water, but is realized by water. It is not unnoticed by water, but is realized by water. 

"When it rises to the sky, it becomes raindrops" means that water rises to the heavens and skies everywhere and forms raindrops. Raindrops vary according to the different worlds. To say that there are places water does not reach is the teaching of the listeners of the Small Vehicles or the mistaken teaching of people outside the way. Water exists inside fire and inside mind, thought, and ideas. Wateralso exists within the wisdomof realizing buddha nature. 

"When it falls to the ground, it becomes rivers" means that when water reaches the ground it turns into rivers. The essence of the rivers becomes wise people. 

Now ordinary fools and mediocre people think that water is always in rivers or oceans, but this is not so. Rivers and oceans exist in water. Accordingly, even where there is not a river or an ocean, there is water. It is just that when water falls down to the ground, it manifests the characteristics of rivers and oceans.