A quota, I ask you - why a quota? Five hundred words I must lay out here on this piece of paper, no particular subject, just words; five hundred of them.
Where is the starting point? A subject; yes that would be a grand idea. But, while I ponder the various subjects that could be the base for this prose, I shall start by just writing words, all of which will contribute towards the five hundred word quota.
To begin with, I had an empty piece of paper. But how empty was it really? To quote the great Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hahn:
"If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper. Without a cloud there will be no water; without water, the trees cannot grow; and without trees, you cannot make paper. So the cloud is in here. The existence of this page is dependent upon the existence of a cloud. Paper and cloud are so close".
So, is this, or was it ever an empty piece of paper? Or more to the point, was it ever a piece of paper? Perhaps it is a cloud. And as with a cloud can I see images of people and animals? Should I look long and hard using my imagination to conjure the metaphorical prancing horse that many romantics see in those floating white billowing clouds?
From this emptiness numerous objects of form and matter appear or are created. This certainly supports the first lesson in Zen which states "emptiness is form - form is emptiness", for there is nothing until the mind thinks. This reminds me, I must continue to think of a subject for this piece of prose; these words being typed onto this paper, or is it a cloud, or perhaps a prancing horse? It does not actually make much difference whether it is a prancing horse, paper or any other form, for as soon as it is handed in for review, no doubt the reader will create something completely different and of their own unique nature.
Perhaps the subject of this scribble should be form - no emptiness! I know, the subject should be nothing, absolutely nothing. There is nothing as clear and as easy to write about as nothing!
I now come so close to fulfilling by goal. How shall I fill it out and draw even closer to that five hundredth word that is the base for this quota? Perhaps a piece of poetry, great, that is sure to add a few words to fill this emptiness and provide some form. It would be most appropriate then that this poem be Zen in nature.
I place this verse to fill the void
Meaningless words on a page
Sitting Zazen I face the wall
Its blank exterior speaks volumes
Surely there must be five hundred words by now, but alas, counting back I note my short poem only contributed twenty-four. So close and yet so...