Shih-te : A mud ball dropped in water

Shih-te (9th c. CE) was a lay Buddhist monk and poet who was a dharma companion of Han Shan and Feng Kan. For more about him see this earlier post.

For a mud ball dropped in water
big plans make no sense
for a fragile dreamlike body
a hundred years are rare
unable to ponder deeply
and claiming they’re immortal
people steal a ton of gold
then leave it all behind

Translation by Red Pine

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