Farewell
Douglas Tai Dock Chun passed away on June 2, 2017.
His most recent work is displayed below.
It is comprised of 12 ancient poems (reproduced in Chinese and English below),
11 of which are from this collection.
The large character, 神, is often translated as "spirit", "God", "deity", or "soul".
The 5 seals (clockwise from top left):
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1. 陳 Chun, Douglas' family name 帝 Emperor 鐸 Gong 黄 Huang, Janet’s family name 静 Quiet 娜 Elegance 2. 陳 Chun, family name 帝 Emperor 鐸 Gong 3. 陳 Chun 鶴 Crane 振 Rising up with Spirit 4. 陳 Chun 鶴 Crane 振 Rising up with Spirit 5. 陳 Chun 黄 Huang 静 Quiet 娜 Elegance |
1. Carrying Water, Chopping Wood
日日事無別 In my daily life there are no other chores than
惟吾自偶諧 Those that happen to fall into my hands
頭頭非取捨 Nothing I choose, nothing reject.
處處沒張乖 Nowhere is there ado, nowhere a slip
朱紫誰爲號 I have no other emblems of my glory than
邱山絶塵埃 The mountains and hills without a spot of dust
神通並妙用 My magical power and spiritual exercise consists in
運水及搬柴 Carrying water and gathering firewood
2. Excerpt from "Oblivion" (#12, below)
澄心萬虞忘 Till my mind is cleansed in and out of all cares and idle thoughts
3. Stillness
十方同聚會 The ten directions converging
個個學無爲 Each learning to do nothing
此是選佛場 This is the hall of Buddha's training
心空及第歸 Mind's empty, all's finished
4. Mindfulness
春有百花秋有月 Spring has its hundred flowers, Autumn its moon
夏有涼風冬有雪 Summer has its cooling breezes, Winter its snow
若無閑事挂心頭 If you allow no idle concerns to weight on your heart
更是人間好時節 Your whole life will be one perennial good season
5. The Great Tao
大道無形 The Great Tao is without form
眞理無對 The Absolute is without opposite
等空不動 It is both empty and unmoving
非生死流 It is not within the flow of Samsara
三界不攝 The Three Realms do not contain it
非古夾今 It is not within past, future, or present
6. Oneness
彌勒眞彌勒 O Maitreya, O true Maitreya
分身千百億 Thou dividest the body into hundreds of thousands of million forms
時時示時人 Thus manifesting thyself to men of the world
時人自不識 But how they are ignorant of thee
7. Untitled gatha by Shan-hui
有物先天地 Something there is, prior to heaven and earth
無形本寂寥 Without form, without sound, all alone by itself
能爲萬象主 It has the power to control all the changing things
不逐四時凋 Yet it changes not in the course of the four seasons
8. Untitled gatha by Shan-hui
空手把鉏頭 Empty-handed, I hold a hoe
步行騎水牛 Walking on foot, I ride a buffalo
人在橋上過 Passing over a bridge I see
橋流水不流 The bridge flow but not the water
9. Beyond this World
通玄峯頂 Over the crest of the T'ung-hsuan-feng
不是人間 The human world is no more
心外無物 Nothing is outside the Mind
満目青山 And the eye is filled with green mountains
10. Mindfulness
行到水窮處 I stroll along the stream up to where it ends
坐看雲起時 I sit down watching the clouds as they begin to rise
11. Excerpt from "My Retreat in the Zhongnan Mountains"
偶然値林叟 By chance, I met an old man in the forest
談笑無還期 We talked and laughed so that I forgot to go home
12. Oblivion (light gray text is absent)
幽鳥語如篁 A bird in a secluded grove sings like a flute
柳搖金線長 Willows sway gracefully with their golden threads
雲歸山谷静 The mountain valley grows the quieter as the clouds return
風送杏花香 A breeze brings along the fragrance of the apricot flowers
永日蕭然坐 For a whole day I have sat here encompassed by peace
澄心萬虞忘 Till my mind is cleansed in and out of all cares and idle thoughts
欲言言不及 I wish to tell you how I feel, but words fail me
林下好商量 If you come to this grove, we can compare notes