APHORISMS
You bought it from your father, you sold it to your mother,
You shared the profit with friends;
Thieves can't steal this wealth--
Your family heirloom is arrogance.
*
When the scholar's head rots
His nose becomes deaf.
It's the fault of the blind students
Who fail to see his head.
*
The lecture of the newly appointed teacher
Sounds like a general's orders.
It's the fault of the senior students
For asking profound questions.
*
Mistaking a charlatan for a savior
And offering him one's life with blind faith
Is like falling asleep on a borrowed horse:
The horse will return to its owner.
*
The restless poet who composes
A verse in praise of mountain solitude
Is like a criminal turned judge
Writing a textbook on law.
*
The insight which transcends mind
And the mind which activates awareness
Are like a healthy youth
Who has good eyes and legs.
2 November 1972