Dogen Zenji (1200 – 1253 CE) was a Japanese Buddhist monk who was ordained at the age of 17 in the influential Tendai school. Unable to find there what he was seeking, and disillusioned by the politics of the Order, he eventually went to China, where he spent five years studying with the Chan master Rujing. Returning to Japan, he began to teach zazen, or sitting meditation, a silent method distinct from the widespread use of ‘koans’ to shake consciousness free from its bondage. Ultimately, Dogen became the patriarch of the Soto Zen school. In this verse, the moon can be understood as the light of divine illumination.

The moon reflected
In a mind clear
As still water:
Even the waves, breaking,
Are reflecting its light.

Translation Steven Heine