Muso Soseki (1275 – 1351 CE) was a Japanese Rinzai Buddhist monk, teacher, poet, calligrapher and garden designer. It is difficult to overstate his effect on the development of his country. At the age of fifty, he was invited by the Emperor to become the head priest of an important temple in Kyoto, and he worked closely with the rulers of Japan for the rest of his life.  He established a network of Zen monasteries throughout the country, which became centers not only of Buddhist learning but also of art and culture.  Soseki wrote many books and hundreds of poems, and is remembered for having designed  a number of Zen gardens (still tended to this day, although  none are in their original form).  He also taught an estimated ten thousand students. It is not surprising that the honorifics conferred upon him included ‘National Zen Teacher’ and ‘Teacher to Seven Emperors.’

A runaway son
will never come
into his own.
My treasure
is the cloud on the peak,
the moon over the valley.
Traveling east or west,
light and free
on the one road,
I don’t know whether
I’m on the way
or at home.

* * *

In the real world,
the pure world,
no separation exists.
Why wait for another time
and another meeting?
The teaching on Vulture Peak*
is here today.
Who else are you looking for
to preserve the Way?

*Vulture Peak, also known as Holy Eagle Peak, was the Buddha’s favourite retreat in Rajagaha, now Bihar, India, and many of his discourses were given there.