Counterparts: Teachers and Students

Reflecting upon
The relationship
Between Dharma teachers
And their students,

I considered
How to describe
What I have so far
Observed and experienced,

Thinking,
Just as the proximity
Of flowers to each other
Affects how they grow,

So to, when one engages
In an interaction,
And a dialogue
About the Dharma,

The pattern of unfolding
Of teacher and student
Is altered, in accordance with
Their natures;

Each attempt to communicate,
The exchange of views
Influences the outcome
For each participant;

The results of
This interchange
Lead to more discussion
And so, both flowers grow,

Sometimes battered
By wind and rain,
But nevertheless, still standing
At the end of the storm.