Stonehouse was a 14th Century Chinese hermit poet who spent twenty years in living in a secluded mountain hut before being assigned to serve as abbot of Fuyuan Temple near present day Hangzhou. Worn out by the responsibilities after 8 years, he eventually moved back to his mountain home where he compiled his poetry and lived the remainder of his life. Over the years of our work and responsibility, we have found his poetry to be an inspiring expression of the importance of the contemplative life.While we do not seek to emulate his hermetic life here at The Stone House, we want to always be reminded of the primacy of solitude, contemplation, and peace in our efforts to cultivate of a better world.
Some Stonehouse Poems
I built my hut on Redcloud Peak
ploughing and hoeing make up my day
half-a-dozen terraced fields
two or three men of the Way
I made a pond for the moon
and sell wood to buy grain
an old man with few schemes
I’ve told you all about me
~
besides knowing it’s there there’s nothing to know
the moon shines bright above the flowering plum
but who can look past the blossoms
~
where the faintest breath makes foam
as soon as we have a body
we have worries about food and clothes
runaway racehorse perceptions
uncaged monkey delusions
until you understand The Lord of Emptiness
the Wheel of Rebirth rolls on
The Three Little Pigs
Of course, we are also inspired by the story of the 3 little pigs. While the wolf was easily able to blow down the straw and wooden houses, he was unable to blow down the house made of stone. May it be so with The Stone House!
