Neil, this touches my heart deeply. Each piece of this series is so serene and beautiful. And when seen as a whole, it has a profound effect! The film you shared really helps illuminate the beauty and holiness of your prayerful practice. It's clear that walking in nature and composing sijo poems calls us to a path to greater wholeness and peace. I know this will be an inspiring offering to your readers, old and new.
Thank you for mentioning the Memory Exchange. I'm so glad that you enjoyed the abecedarian form for these poems. You absolutely nailed it. I did not know that you were doing it until nearly the end (Xanthic!) 🤭
O Great Light!
"Kumgang Mountain, its 12,000 peaks. She lights candles at all of them."
Thanks Ann and much appreciated! Your poem Fiddlehead gave me the inspiration to try my hand at Abecedarian poetry and I thank you for that! I figured when you saw Xanthic, you'd catch what I was onto! ;)
Thanks! We have visited several temples in Gangwon Province near the city of Chuncheon. Quite nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of Seoul when we lived there until 2014. :)
You are so generous in your Comments all over this platform. And you manage to do so within the body of your essay. I am happy to see your praise for Ann and Brian’s Exchange.
I love the rhythm that forms when I read the Sijo’s one after another without pause. The emphasis on the first word of each line is the glorious downbeat.
These stunning nature photos, augmented by precise and delightful abecedarian poems, guide us toward new perspectives. The words harmony and respect come to mind. Wonderful Sunday reading.
Now, this is an amazing compilation of your own work, Neil, and an amazing practice of the acrostic poetic form. I really like seeing all of the sijos and photos from previous posts as they remind me of all of the aha moments that you have shared with us. I also really liked the video and the collaborative links.
Thanks, Heidi and very much appreciated. This was an interesting poetry form to work with for the first time. I highly recommmend that movie as well - such a great film.
I can highly recommend "Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?" and "Zen Buddhism: in Search of Self". The seasons movie is very fine and accurately portrays the both tolerant and devout spirit of contemporary Chogye Buddhism. The left for the east movie is pretty accurate in portraying the role hermitages play in the Chogye order, though there is one protracted scene, that would never occur in a practice-centered monastery such as the one I attended. The in search of self movie is a documentary of Chogye order nuns and completely authentic. Makes me homesick a bit...
Amazing, beautiful, creative, delightful, enchanting, fantastic, gorgeous... ;-) You told us in advance you were going to do it, and you did! Nevertheless, I completely missed it, despite "xanthic" and "zenith." Bravo! Thank you for sharing your photos and your writing. Being part of this community is such a pleasure, and daily!
Thanks, Joni B and very much appreciated! This was a new poetry form for me to try and out and was interesting using it with the sijo forms as well. Happy to share. :)
Thanks, Agnes and much appreciated. Have a lovely day, too.
Neil, this touches my heart deeply. Each piece of this series is so serene and beautiful. And when seen as a whole, it has a profound effect! The film you shared really helps illuminate the beauty and holiness of your prayerful practice. It's clear that walking in nature and composing sijo poems calls us to a path to greater wholeness and peace. I know this will be an inspiring offering to your readers, old and new.
Thank you for mentioning the Memory Exchange. I'm so glad that you enjoyed the abecedarian form for these poems. You absolutely nailed it. I did not know that you were doing it until nearly the end (Xanthic!) 🤭
O Great Light!
"Kumgang Mountain, its 12,000 peaks. She lights candles at all of them."
Thanks Ann and much appreciated! Your poem Fiddlehead gave me the inspiration to try my hand at Abecedarian poetry and I thank you for that! I figured when you saw Xanthic, you'd catch what I was onto! ;)
Perfectly done!!
Have you and your wife ever gotten to visit any of the temples at Kumgang Mountain? It looks amazing.
Thanks! We have visited several temples in Gangwon Province near the city of Chuncheon. Quite nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of Seoul when we lived there until 2014. :)
Ah, Peace! 💛
Nor have I been to those mountains
Though I've seen those same snows
On the peaks of Cholla Namdo,
And worn those same gray robes
And dragged that same heavy stone
Of my karma and regrets,
To the eastern country
Now there's white snow and birdsong,
In Palgûn Am the old monk
Is asleep in the seon pang.
The candle wicks are burnt down
There's incense ash on the altar
The large brass gong sits silent.
But the echoes reach your ears.
Now there's white snow and birdsong 🕊️
Thank you, Michael and I have not been to Cholla Namdo as yet. Hopefully one day to make the trek up Jirisan.
What a marvelous reply. You are od the family.
So good! Thank you. Looking ahead to rereading them after cleaning time.
Thanks, Peter and much appreciated!
Simply gorgeous, Neil!
You are so generous in your Comments all over this platform. And you manage to do so within the body of your essay. I am happy to see your praise for Ann and Brian’s Exchange.
🌱🌿💚
Thank you, Katharine and very much appreciated. Their poetry exchange inspired me to try something a little different with my sijo forms. :)
I love the rhythm that forms when I read the Sijo’s one after another without pause. The emphasis on the first word of each line is the glorious downbeat.
Thanks, Emma and very much appreciated! It's interesting how this flowed and I really enjoyed the process.
These stunning nature photos, augmented by precise and delightful abecedarian poems, guide us toward new perspectives. The words harmony and respect come to mind. Wonderful Sunday reading.
Thank you, Kim and very much appreciated. I really enjoyed putting this post together.
Now, this is an amazing compilation of your own work, Neil, and an amazing practice of the acrostic poetic form. I really like seeing all of the sijos and photos from previous posts as they remind me of all of the aha moments that you have shared with us. I also really liked the video and the collaborative links.
Thanks, Heidi and very much appreciated. This was an interesting poetry form to work with for the first time. I highly recommmend that movie as well - such a great film.
I can highly recommend "Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East?" and "Zen Buddhism: in Search of Self". The seasons movie is very fine and accurately portrays the both tolerant and devout spirit of contemporary Chogye Buddhism. The left for the east movie is pretty accurate in portraying the role hermitages play in the Chogye order, though there is one protracted scene, that would never occur in a practice-centered monastery such as the one I attended. The in search of self movie is a documentary of Chogye order nuns and completely authentic. Makes me homesick a bit...
Photo collage, wows!
Sijos, succinct wonders-full*
Film, life wisdom, woes.
Thank you, Marisol and I appreciate your haiku!
Beautiful poems. Love how you closed the circle.
Thanks, MK CREEL and much appreciated. This was a new challenging poetry form. I enjoyed the process.
Amazing, beautiful, creative, delightful, enchanting, fantastic, gorgeous... ;-) You told us in advance you were going to do it, and you did! Nevertheless, I completely missed it, despite "xanthic" and "zenith." Bravo! Thank you for sharing your photos and your writing. Being part of this community is such a pleasure, and daily!
Thanks, Joni B and very much appreciated! This was a new poetry form for me to try and out and was interesting using it with the sijo forms as well. Happy to share. :)
This is just stunning--so beautiful. I could feel my breath deepen as read through the poetry and engaged with the photos.
Thank you very much, LeeAnn and very much appreciated.
All just wonderful, what else can I say? Looks like a labor of love.
Thanks, Carole and much appreciated. This was an interesting post to put together.