A Mortal Life, Born of One Thought · Stubborn and Foolish by Nature · 33 / 102
Tianmen Yao: Asking the Way
Seeking the Way in the Realm of the Three Pure Ones, crossing the sky-moat—jade towers of shimmering light. The evening drum intones; from the wide cliff a flying spring comes gushing.
Waiting for the cloud-wrapped peaks to open again, the rose-clouds gathering and shining, to be ferried across—the true scripture, the offering of the three treasures. Famed traces remain; so I ask after the Dharma, wearing myself away in pursuit of light and shadow.
Glosses—
Realm of the Three Pure Ones: the highest place in the heavens;
Shimmering light: a glittering radiance;
Cloud-wrapped peaks (yun xiu): ridges wound about with cloud and mist;
Three treasures: the three treasures first appear in Laozi's Daodejing: "I have three treasures, which I hold and keep. The first is compassion; the second is frugality; the third is not daring to be first in the world. Being compassionate, one can therefore be brave. Being frugal, one can therefore be ample. Not daring to be first in the world, one can therefore become the chief of all vessels."
*This work is original. If you repost it, please credit the original author Guang Zhi Shiyi; any infringement, once discovered, will be pursued to the full extent of the law. In addition, the accompanying image comes from the internet and belongs to the original artist FanMing.