Zip file of the entire book

I have never been much of a poetry reader–mostly because I have often found it to be obtuse or irrelevant. My opinion changed, though, after reading Eric Shaffer’s work. I loved PORTABLE PLANET (his first collection of poems), and LIVING IN THE MONASTERY, WORKING IN THE KITCHEN was even better! His poetry is fresh, humorous and filled with simple images that manage to evoke complex emotions. “Will good and evil deeds be weighed?/Who ponders such nonsense is lost.” — simple truth, eloquently stated. Buy this book and forget your preconceived notions about poetry. Eric Shaffer will blow them out of the water!

These lyrics, from a 9th century zen monk who knows his way around work and play, arrogance and humility, keep bringing us back: to work, to our places in the pecking order, to friends and how they do and do not understand us, to seeing our suffering for what it is and what it is not. Shih te announces, “The kitchen I work in is dark, / but clean as a kernal of uncooked rice . . . My broom stands by the stove, / palm-polished wood in easy reach / should I wish to sweep red dust around the room.” And in a time when the retreat centers and spiritual workshops are full, Shih te takes a sly look at his buddy Han Shan: “Most days I refuse / Cold Peak’s invitation to the clouds. / In the kitchen, fire cooks rice / but only with the willing work of water. / I am happy as I am, / and that’s enough.”
Like his PORTABLE PLANET, these poems come with a set of instructions: “Do your work. Stop. Listen. Eat. Wash your bowls. Sit still. Breathe.” I hesitated to read anymore; what else could there be? But there’s more!

Tags: Indonesia