Dialogue with the Millennium-Old Ancient Tree

Poem by Lan Xin (Lanxin Samei)

O dear Ancient Ten-Mile Fragrance Tree,

Amid the rise and fall of the ancient temple, you stand serene, having watched over a thousand years.

For whom, exactly, do you wait?

And who waits for you?

Since I stepped foot into this pure land under your guardianship,

I have fallen in love with you, adorned in blazing blossoms.

I vow never to betray the thousand-year watch of you and all ancient trees,

Let your fragrance cross mountains and seas, drifting across the distant ocean shores.

Now I have transformed this thousand-year-old temple into an academy.

White walls and red beams, stars and moon linger around you from dawn till dusk.

Day after day, I stay with you, gazing at you with deep affection.

After spring blossoms fade quietly,

In summer, you silently nurture clusters of buds.

Just like me, amid the ups and downs of the mortal world,

You keep your inner peace, quietly gestating your bloom.

On a tranquil morning after rain,

I watch you unfurl a few blossoms gently.

Then day after day, flower after flower blooms slowly.

Only when karmic conditions are ripe, do you pour forth your full radiance.

Ancient tree, from afar our souls resonate as one.

So it is for a flower, so it is for a tree.

One flower, one world; one leaf, one Bodhi.

For all living beings and all things in the world, is it not the same?

All beings share one root, interconnected, resonating in love and compassion.

Everyone has their own time to bloom.

When wishes come true, blessings arrive naturally.

Circumstances shift, holding the promise of recovery and new turns.

All beauty in this world requires waiting, and is worthy of waiting.

In quiet companionship, we perceive the universal love binding heaven, earth and all living things.

May all humanity learn from you:

Dwell in the present, and wait peacefully for the bloom.

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