閑居偶作
雙忘取舍思翛然
萬物同時現在前
佛法從今心旣盡
身儀向後且隨緣
Casual Seclusion Verse I
Drifting in stillness with gain and loss both cast aside,
Ten thousand things appear in the ever-present tide.
Now that the wayfarer’s truth has stilled the beating heart,
The body follows on where the flowing currents chart.
閑居偶作
Idle Reside Chance Compose
雙忘取舍思翛然
Pair Forget Take Discard Think Unrestrained Right
萬物同時現在前
Ten-thousand Thing Same Time Appear Be Before
佛法從今心旣盡
Buddha Dhamma From Now Heart Already Exhausted
身儀向後且隨緣
Body Conduct Toward Back And Follow CauseMy gripe with my translation here is the liberties I take with first and last line. I think it encapsulates the gist of Dōgen’s idea but I understand if it was contested. “Flowing currents chart” makes this more of a rendition than translation, but that’s fine for this project.