Trước đó vài tuần lễ
Bác sĩ chẩn bệnh thầy
Bệnh viêm gan nên phải
Đề phòng chuyện nhiễm lây
Không chia sẻ với ai
Chén đũa và thực phẩm
Từ đó thầy thọ trai
Một mình trong phòng bệnh
Thầy bình thản chấp nhận
Dù thầy có thói quen
Chia đồ ăn thức uống
Cùng với các tăng thân
Tuân thủ đến một hôm
Thầy bảo người cộng sự
Lúc buổi trưa đến thăm
Hãy cùng thầy dùng bữa
Vì thử nghiệm chính xác
Bệnh thầy là ung thư
Ta ăn chung như trước
Chuyện lây bệnh khỏi lo
Tăng thân và thiền sư
Lại ăn chung một đĩa
Như được nhận món quà
Thầy vô cùng hoan hỉ
Cho đến khi viên tịch
Thầy hay nói ung thư
Là người bạn thân thiết
Chẳng biết thật hay đùa
Bắc Phong
* Thơ phóng tác theo một giai thoại về Thiền sư Shunryu Suzuki (1904-1871):
After a number of tests and examinations, Suzuki Roshi's doctor decided to have Roshi go into the hospital for some more tests. After Roshi had been there a day or two I went to see him. The doctor was leaving Roshi's room just as I arrived. During the previous weeks the doctor had thought that Suzuki Roshi might have hepatitis, so Okusan and I were very careful about using completely separate dishes and cooking separately and all for Suzuki Roshi. This made quite a change in our way of eating meals together, which had often meant passing some tidbit back and forth for tastes, etc. The morning I arrived at Suzuki Roshi's hospital room his lunch had just been brought in. He motioned to me to come and sit next to him on the edge of his bed. And as I crossed the room he mouthed the words, "I have cancer" to me. When I sat next to him he leaned over and took a bit of food on his fork and put it into my mouth. As he did he said, "Now we can eat off the same plate again." And as he said that, it was as if he had just received some big gift. Now we no longer had to be careful of contamination. And he from then on always talked of his cancer as his friend.
Yvonne Rand
Source: Shunryu Suzuki Stories