Zen New Old Year!


I was sent this great New Year’s poem from the Kwan Um Weekly Zen email list. It’s so incredible, I thought I would share it here for the start to a great new old year!

Let’s see what we make 2025 into!

From Zen Master Seung Sahn 1980 New Year


Every year, every year, 
New year, new year.
Every year, every year,
Old year, old year.
 
Old year gone.... New year.
New year gone... Old year.
 
Who made that?
You? I? We? They?
No, no, no!
Then God? Buddha? Time? Space?
No, no, no!
Then the sun? The moon?, The earth? The stars?
No, no, no!
Then the mountain? The river? The tree? The flower?
No, no, no!
Then the elephant? The dog? The cat? The mouse?
No, no, no!
Then, "Three pounds of flax?"
"Dry shit on a stick?"
"Katz?"
"Mu?"
No, no, no!
 
Then what?

The snow sparkles in the dawn.

In the morning 1972 plus 8. 


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