Tom Riordan recently posted "Another Zen Poem?" and in the course of threading some comments I suggested this could be fertile ground for a competition.  The idea is simple:   those who want,  get to submit one Zen Challenge poem by some deadline (yet to be determined);  the winner is selected by popular acclaim;  the winner is crowned;  and we all have some fun and community.

Welcome your reactions, thoughts and in particular any practical ideas to get this off the ground.

Thanks for reading,

k

What would be the requirements for it to be a Zen poem?  Sounds like fun.

I'm with n.m. --- what is a Zen poem eggsactly?

Without permission, I've copied and pasted Tom's "Another Zen Poem?" below -- is this questioning of "what is" or statement of "what is" what we're going for in a Zen poem?  Shall we consult Zek?   :D

What is the sound
of the one millionth
hand also clapping?

Is there
but one
grape?

Then
farm.

A poem
is wine.

Only a
drunk
agrees.

Zi'm zin, zall zwarmed zup! Zremember zthough, Zek zis za zlong zway zfrom Zen - Zel zand Zem zare zcloser.
Zif zyou zhave zto zask zwhat Zen zis,  zyou zalready zlost.

Zoah kay!

Zhinking, zilliness zhere, zentries zin zanother zen-thread.

Zig-Zag-Zoala-Mag

Sorry for silliness Kevin, good idea Maggie: discuss and be silly here, post only entries in a different thread, and maybe a third later for voting? Tom

I think there is a voting tool on this site...not sure how it works but might be worth looking at?

Not all the boards have the poll available. A poll can have five topics to vote upon. If there were more than five entries we'd have to ask people to post a vote for their favorite poem as a comment and then we could select the top five for the membership to vote on. 

I like the idea of membership participation.

I think it's just as easy to select a date by which the poem has to be posted - asking all members to refrain from commenting on the poems until the deadline has past. Then let the voting begin - for another set time period.

I'd say we should not stifle creativity with a bundle of rules. Let the majority decide this one. Write the way you want and we'll vote.

RE: What is Zen Poetry?

Well, Enlightenment is the first aim of Zen so I think we are well on the way. :)

Here are a few links to get everyone thinking:

http://www.poetrysociety.org.nz/node/113 - about Zen

http://www.mccoy.co.uk/snapshots/ - about Haiku mainly

http://www.zenpaintings.com/collecting-new.htm - Zen art

http://tinyurl.com/cos9q7 - article on Japanese culture and Zen poetry.

Here's a quote worth reading:

"Zen poetry is based on the simple idea that self-contemplation is the key
to understanding the universe. The subject and form of Zen poems must
embody the teachings of the Buddha and demonstrate an intellectual skill
beyond that demonstrated in an orthodox poetic subject.

Zen poetry believes that 'Zen is Poetry, and Poetry is Zen'.   

While forms such as Buddhist poetry demand the poet writes solely
about Buddhist subjects, the poem may have any subject, so long as
it can be suffused with the spirit of Zen.  The basic formula of a Zen
poem follows seven principles: asymmetry, simplicity, agedness,
naturalness, latency, unconventionality and quietness."

     -   Zen and Poetry   By Cynthia Muraca.

Big thanks everyone for reception and development of this.  Lavonne, especially big thanks to you for info on how we could use the voting facility (for top 5, like it)  and helping us towards a working definition. I think your two quotes hit the essential "spirit" of a Zen poem.  I'm against setting too many formalistic rules, unless folks think their absence will cause difficulty....

Let's say we use Lavonne's procedures for voting.
Kevin, why don't you set a date window for submissions (start & end), then a 2nd separate thread here for Zen Poem Submissions Only.
Then at the end of the submissions window, set up a 3rd thread for comment and votes? -Tom

Sounds great. Where do I submit?

So, to sum up:


1. Start a new thread entitled Zen Poem Challenge (Kevin?)
2. Post your Zen poem by (How about two weeks from today?) Midnight on Thursday, April 2.
3. DO NOT MAKE ANY COMMENTS ABOUT POEMS POSTED ON THE THREAD. All comments will be removed by an editor.That way there will be an even playing ground.
4. At 12:01 AM on April 3, members can start voting. Cast a vote for your first, second, and third choices. Voting will continue for 48 hours, ending at 12:01 AM on April 5.
5. Tallying will be done by Kevin, who will post the winners in the thread.

Members can then post their zen poems on the submit board for more comments and workshopping.

Does that sound like it will work?

Works for me, el vee.  maggie