writing blank

What's happening

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 09:13:00 +0000

I am really sorry because of my problems in finding time to keep the blog updated. In spite of this, I don't want to drop it, and I'll do my best to post as soon as possible all the missing stuff.

A year of blank: John Cage's Water walk

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:22:00 +0000

On the 5th of January the original blog had his first anniversary: a whole year of absence in the web. To forget this little event I'm posting here the first video of writing blank, the first "shooting blank". It's the performance of Water Walk, of course live, performed by John Cage during the CBS program "I've got a secret" in January 1960. A marvellous and funny pearl, to be watched with a double smile, like the one which never leaves Cage's face.

For those who don't know who is John Cage, and even more for those who know it, here is the link to his page on uncyclopedia.
And don't forget to press pause on the blog player on the right.

Originally posted in Italian on January 6, 2009 at 22:28

Apocryphal koans: Case IX

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 11:37:00 +0000

A monk asked Chao-chou: – What is the Buddha?
Chao-chou answered: – It’s a pacifier for babies.

Poem

Like some babies
we suddenly accept the deception of the sense.
To spit it by ourself it is not difficult:
just we can resign ourself
to a free mouth.

Originally posted in Italian on January 1, 2009 at 18:55

Winter [VI]

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 10:20:00 +0000

Circles in the pond,
in the centre the duck
has flown away.

Originally posted in Italian on December 21, 2008 at 11:02

Out of season [V]

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:20:00 +0000

Sitted on a tram
a man wraps the rest up
of his son’s lunch.

Originally posted in Italian on December 15, 2008 at 15:23

An apocryphal gatha

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 12:46:00 +0000

I’ve found unexpected fresh space
for every possibility:
renunciation.

Originally posted in Italian on December 7, 2008 at 13:38

Haiku for a new-born child [VIII]

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:55:00 +0000

The clothes taken off:
the nappy is unwrapped
as a present.

Originally posted in Italian on November 29, 2008 at 00:50

Autumn

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:13:00 +0000

The cars crackled the dancing
whirls of the leaves just
missing the void.

The autumn winds
unstitched from the sunset
the blond of our crushed hairs.

Originally posted in Italian on November 22, 2008 at 19:09

Autunm [III]

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000

The horse chestnut in the court:
wearing two leaves,
two earrings.

Originally posted in Italian on November 16, 2008 at 00:48

The sophoras path (by Wang Wei & P'ei Ti)

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:21:00 +0000

Aside on the path
________sheltered by the sophoras
in the secret of the shadow
________the green musk flourishes.
They answer the door:
________the servant appears, alone, and greets me.
He thought that the monk from the mountain
________was already arrived.

South of the door,
________beside the sophoras,
there is the path on the edge,
________which brings to the lake I.
As Autumn arrives,
________it rains a lot on the mountain;
nobody collects
________the leaves which fall.

(da: Poems from the river Wang, translated by me from Italian)

Originally posted in Italian on November 9, 2008 at 0:57

Apocryphal koans: Case VIII

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:50:00 +0000

A monk asked Lin-chi the patriarch: – The scriptures pass on that as the Buddha Śākyamuni reached the enlightenment and broke the chain of the twelve causes, he decided not to enter the nirvana, because, moved by a great compassion, he wanted every living being to join that condition.
– You are saying of the bodhisattva.
– After that he broke free, how can the bodhisattva liberate the other ones?
– He ignores them.
– Why can’t he reveal them the Way?
– Breaking free he already did all that he could.
– Then it’s impossible to help the other ones in the Way.
– Ah, you are such an ungrateful person!

Poem

You are really ungrateful
if you don’t thank duly
who liberates you from himself.
One ring is enough to break
the whole chain of the twelve causes
if you don’t wrap yourself in the rest.
But not even ingratitude
could cause any reaction
or karma in who is free.

Originally posted in Italian on November 2, 2008 at 13:19

Autumn [II]

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 22:24:00 +0000

Red leaves
visited by the worm. How many eyes has
the sunset!

Originally posted in Italian on October 25, 2008 at 00:09

Haiku for a new-born child [VII]

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 23:56:00 +0000

In the infancy section:
how difficult not to buy
every useless thing.

Originally posted in Italian on October 18, 2008 at 19:12

Out of season [IV]

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:05:00 +0000

The evening is through.
Nina picks up from the floor
something broken.

Originally posted in Italian on October 12, 2008 at 12:50

More music for zen apocryphal

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 23:09:00 +0000

I've added two new music tracks written by Giuseppe Rizzo for the project zen apocryphal. They are «Dentro la cascata» (Inside the waterfall) and «Nina». You can list to the first one (just press forward in the player until you find it) while you read this haiku, for the second one have a little bit patient.

Originally posted in Italian on October 7, 2008 at 23:25

[You speak good]

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 23:24:00 +0000

You speak good
raising your stick from the ground
but you don’t close your eyes.
The otherwise fuck us this
inability to imagine anything
nothing else than the always pressed on the eyes
about the darkness one fears above all
what is no more dark.

It’s a start.
Don’t leave it to the rain.

Originally posted in Italian on October 5, 2008 at 2:52

Apocryphal koans: Case VII

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 11:04:00 +0000

Two monks worked silently digging the ground behind the monstery. After a while one of them exclaimed: – Buddha is right here!
The other one said: – Look where you work, you are digging already dug ground!
The first monk had an important intuition.

Poem

If you dig the ground, Buddha is with you.
If you don’t dig the ground, Buddha is with you.
If you dig already dug ground, dig harder:
Buddha never moved!

Originally posted in Italian on September 28, 2008 at 15:46

Autumn [I]

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0000

In a week
more leaves are fallen
than raindrops in a year.

Originally posted in Italian on September 21, 2008 at 00:01

Haiku for a new-born child [VI]

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 09:34:00 +0000

Open wardrobe
the child’s mouth
is closed in a O.

Originally posted in Italian on September 15, 2008 at 15:14

Out of season [III]

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 21:29:00 +0000

Elevator light:
eight second of silence
with a stranger.

Originally posted in Italian on September 8, 2008 at 12:14

Summer [IV]

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:21:00 +0000

Finland:
liquid sky was poured
with gulps.

Originally posted in Italian on August 30, 2008 at 01:56

Passages

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:00:00 +0000

If we left the deserted ways one morning
to the patient work of silence
thick cobwebs would soon climber
concentric under the archs of stone
everyone mirroring at the trembling light
a half-closed passage of this town.

But we would pass through them anyway
carrying invisible
ruins of fragilities
which couldn’t be recognized.

Originally posted in Italian on August 23, 2008 at 1:02

Apocryphal koans: Case VI

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 10:39:00 +0000

When the new pupil Hsing-hua arrived at Lin-chi’s monastery and was received by the master, he immediately asked him: – Master, what is the difference between the enlightened one and the not-enlightened one?
– Who?
– The enlightened one and the not-enlightened one.
– And who are you?
– My name is Hsing-hua.
– Mine is Lin-chi.
Hsing-hua hesitated, then he asked again: – Master, what is the difference between the enlightened one and the not-enlightened one?
– Hsing-hua!
– Yes, master!
– There. Try to repeat it now.
But the new pupil still hesitated, then Lin-chi jumped upon him and holding his forefinger in front of him said: – So, the eyes are two: how many finger can you see?
A shiver ran down Hsing-hua’s spine.

Poem

The rain falls screening
a transmission defect:
dry window
wet eyes
A raindrop has fallen
on the lash.
Can you see it?
One three seven onehundredandseven eyes
one eye for every raindrop.

Originally posted in Italian on August 15, 2008 at 17:09

Summer [III]

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 21:55:00 +0000

Inside the waterfall
thousands of breathes
rain down dry.

Originally posted in Italian on August 8, 2008 at 02:29

Haiku for a new-born child [V]

noreply@blogger.com (Alfio) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:22:00 +0000

Pooping and burping
eating without choking : so many successes in a day
for the new-born child!

Originally posted in Italian on August 1, 2008 at 01:08