The Way of the Wise

Be true to yourself.

Be true to your heart.

Be true to the Way of Peace.

Be without being

A prisoner of the past.

She has long since abandoned us

Leaving the door of our cage wide open.

Yet, we remain within her boundaries

Like a bird that has forgotten how to be free.

Spread your wings

And fly.

Be without being.

Such is the Way of the Wise.

Be true to yourself.

Be true to your heart.

Be true to the Way of Peace.

Be without being

A puppet to emotion.

How does such an invisible and silent mistress,

Without shape

Without form

Move us

Without as much as touch?

The strings that pull us

Into directions

Of haste and regret

Only exist in the mind.

Sever the ties.

Be without being.

Such is the Way of the Wise.

Be true to yourself.

Be true to your heart.

Be true to the Way of Peace.

Be without being

An instrument of ego.

Our greatest player-

Ourselves.

And she plays our song so sweetly.

But what good is such

If none hears the music?

The rest of the world

Dances

To their own melody.

Your breath would fair better

As wind in your sails,

Than whistling a tune

Upon deafened ears.

Be without being.

Such is the Way of the Wise.

Be true to yourself.

Be true to your heart.

Be true to the Way of Peace.

Be without being

A victim of desire.

Desiring nothing,

All shall be fulfilled.

Be without being.

Such is the Way of the Wise.

Do as true to yourself.

Do as true to your heart.

Do as true to the Way of Peace.

Do without doing,

Responding,

Reacting,

Or anticipating

The World.

For in doing so

We become but

A shadow of its existence.

Do without doing.

Such is the Way of the Wise.

Keep your mind true to yourself.

Keep your mind true to your heart.

Keep your mind true to the Way of Peace.

Give no mind to the noise

Of the world.

Let it deafen the ears of others.

Keep your own thoughts

Quiet

Enough

To hear the beat

And the voice

Of your own heart.

Give no mind.

Such is the Way of the Wise.

Live true to yourself.

Live true to your heart.

Live true to the Way of Peace.

Live in non-being.

Live in non-doing.

Live in no-mindedness.

Such is the Way of the Wise.

By– Ch'onsa Kim