scarecrow poetics/essays

riding waves of mysterious language in the house of a heart
threading made string things through many secret eyes of nets
catching fish tasting like the knowledge of the quintessential truth
of existence
talking, what talking...putting a hand between two trees,
just the Buddha’s opinion, stones in the grass
kokoro scripture, holding in nature

oneself waiting for the sun in a deep temple
the sound of trees under the sky,
going in straight lines as far as walking eyes could see
into the rustic ascetic country where people appear to be called
Bodhisattva
and when they speak, this compassion

all mouth power sees five shining substances
migrating clusters enveloped in clouds
crossing days in a sky that is hollow
all the whole and everything illuminated to redeem misfortune
cutting pain and suffering
blood frequently in trouble delivers an empty blazing void

but not emptiness, un-different
stay for the benefit of a child like this
colour circle side interest advantage other
a stop relic

name other words immediately and consider them to have the correct
colour of the sun
in the sky of the approved colour of the sky

spoken sound of the best consciousness taken red from a woman’s mouth
go back knowing feelings, change sense, heart confectionery, tree
activities, eye thoughts
get perception acquaintance, conceptions of discrimination
have an idea

various methods here
phenomena things characteristic of emptiness laws
look speak dharma
rule of earth
a French phase
fill in an aspect form, man

not not not not not not
pure ruin, a fire is born - impure and noble

get hungry scum
wear down dirt
measure and destroy clean breeds proliferating and diminishing
stained life
raw gain multiplying
defiled increase decreases
subside and rise pure lessons

therefore the late origin cannot be found
zero colour, missing a centre
nothing all through the nil sky
absence of loss, free from gain
the church has gone, without a middle
do not have a lack of being without
go to the base of old straight lines

the physical question of the touch of a blade
body opening, meat reason crying songs of the mind
notes of ones heart cause noise to look and doubt the feelings of a
wooden voice
emotion grounds ear beginnings, taste constitution, thought flavour,
aroma gossip, tongue spirit, eye scent, sound odour. appreciate a
persons fragrant nose smell
this is a din pivot

thou world circles between sight and sphere
namely, dhatu consciousness
that is, up to, until
vision faculty realms
and so on

a bright light exhausted, discernment grown old
the sun and moon ending elderly
used up death ignorance and the obvious passes away
write insight and run out aged
no clear knowledge, only answers

craving truth, causing annihilation
accumulation of paths and concentration of roads
by extinction and suffering gather like the origin of a carved tree
a collection of ways remain
cessation comes and stays together

looking into and around places of attainment
sharp-witted and old
a spot of profit, using, having, knowing nothing by means of
realizations gains and benefits of the intelligent sun, late in the
sky

these words in one's hands
bodice of wisdom
a supreme display of the earth
dwell and rely here
due to, based upon, because
the deepest dependence possible

a trap set for obstruction hangs suspended
caught in a net
disturbing existence and hampering the mind
obstacles prevented from view
hinder not hindrance

fall from fear, separate sacred dreams and perverted possessions
black with dirt
inverted fantasy judged far from getting pleasure upside-down at the
top
frightened and believing daydreams
the summit of a water surface with no waves
the washtub of illusion awakened to being afraid of the ultimate
believe, enjoy and part from imagined thinking having upheavals
contend, compete, consider
go away

the third generation of public things
practices awake the past
the world wisdom
deep perfection depends wholly
the future
all rely
a present

the shore most unsurpassed
highest nook
perfect corner
flatter land
enlightenment attained shame

therefore know this practice perfected no knowledge ought

big identical great gods of charm,
equivalent to the illumination of the most vivid shining heart
supreme and large, a bright curse of natural phenomena
up spelled mysteriously
higher equality
peerless

lies have ripened
now capable of real empty truth
faithful false fruits
cut and thoroughly removed from the void
the sincerity of mistakes
suffering seeds become vain vacant nuts of futile facts

so, set forth and say

fly, hoist, soar
abandon, give up and universally clarify
gone to the other shore
beyond the beyond
fulfilled


*A note on the word "transplaition" - this is a neologism designed to convey a sense somewhere between 'transplant' and 'translation'. This word has been invented to rectify a perceived poverty in methods of conveying religious experience across languages. Therefore this word describes the practice of attempting to interpret a religious text non-literally whilst being informed by the spirit of the tradition that the given text has been encountered within. The above is a transplaition of what is known in Sanskrit as the prajna paramita, in Japanese as the hannya shingyo and has commonly been translated into English as the heart sutra.

Neil Cantwell 2005.