Pilgrimage 69 - On to Kiyomizu-dera, part 2


Granite and sandstone
formed into hills and valleys
covered with pines
silhouetted by the sun
rising through their wind-stretched shapes.



Faintly in the air
is the fragrance of pine trees,
as the dawn breaks
there on a distant hilltop
glows the roof of a temple.



Pausing on the road
to watch the flowing river,
there among the rocks
a small purple flower has bloomed
and sways in the gentle wind.



Soft the old dirt path
that heads into the valley
and up the mountain,
so different from the hard asphalt
of the country highway.



Boulders sparkle
in the sunlight after the rain,
along the path
tiny rivulets gather
bits of glitter into smiles.



The Goeika (hymn) for this temple:

The Great Compassion!
Around every corner
and every place
there is nothing it misses-
the waves of this pure water.