Drinking a bowl of green tea

 I have memorized very few poems in my lifetime (I am sad to say) but this is one of the few I have.

As a teenager in the 70s, I somehow came across a copy of Paul Reps’ Zen Telegrams, a small and beautiful book of short, haiku-like poems written in brush painting and often with a few more strokes to illustrate the poem.

I knew nothing about Zen, but I was fascinated by this book and it is one of a handful from childhood that still sit on my bookshelf today.

Having been raised under the shadow of the Vietnam War, as a teen I had a nascent understanding of both the horrors of war and the feeling of helplessness evoked.

These ten words jumped off the page into my heart and never left.

I didn’t have this language at the time, but since then I can see that this poem illustrated for me:

• The power of presence.
• The energetic power of words.
• The possibility of small acts of intention to change the world.

As an adult, I read more about Paul Reps. There are various stories on the internet about the origin of this poem. They differ in some of the details, but the essences are all similar, so maybe there is some truth to this version. Even if it’s not entirely accurate, it’s a good story.

In the early '50s, Paul Reps, who was in his forties, had traveled to Japan en route to visit a respected Zen master in Korea. He went to the passport office to apply for his visa and was politely informed that his request was denied due to the conflict that had just broken out. Reps walked away and sat down quietly in the waiting area. He reached into his bag, pulled out his thermos, and poured a cup of tea. Finishing his tea he pulled out a brush and paper upon which he wrote a picture poem. The clerk read the poem and it brought tears to his eyes. He smiled, bowed with respect, and stamped Reps' passport for passage to Korea. Reps' Haiku read: "Drinking a bowl of green tea I stop the war."

Paul’s poem didn’t stop the Korean War (or did it, eventually?) but it is a beautiful description of Yin power, the power of presence. An often overlooked power in our Yang action-loving culture. We need to cultivate both Yin presence and Yang action.

If you can find a copy of his book, I highly recommend it. I’ll share some more of his picture poems in future emails.

Kirstin Lindquist