Oh, to express in simple words
My fervent wish and prayer:
Mankind, to find its center space
And seek beyond rebirth and death;
Not worry that it leaves behind
Infinite unfinished possibilities.
Peace: that is what we lose
Amidst this daily upmanship,
Denying that with win or lose, what’s
Mine is fleeting, as is yours.
Each treasures their illusions best.
Harm another, harm yourself.
Understanding this, transcend and let
Mankind evolve and learn to live.
31 JUL 2006
Leave a CommentIf you asked a Buddhist monk
who fled the monastery
as it burned down to the ground
if he would miss it very
much, I think he might reply
“Some mornings, in the winter,
purple clouds would split the sky
into bright colored splinters.”
10 OCT 2005
Leave a CommentThe world is suffering and pain
or so the Buddhists say
but with control of mind and flesh
for some, it goes away
Not for the tree, or rock or mouse
does this travail desist;
nay, ’tis for man, and man alone,
the top dog on the list
For man deserves a better fate
than to compete, and die;
and thus, all man’s misguided myths
are built upon a lie.
The lie is whispered in our cribs:
that this world is our toy,
and that each field of grass is less
than one grand girl or boy
And so we use, abuse and waste
our time upon this earth.
Instead of finding balance,
giving back, we make it worse.
How did we get here? And what for?
These questions, our tales say,
end in the right of human might
that does not see the play
of life and death in which we’re cast
where we believe our press
and act in spite of natural law
that teaches, more or less
That every thing that lives requires
the death of other things,
and in the end will make an end
of pawns, as well as kings
This suffering we dwell upon
disturbs us each, because
we think ourselves, mankind, exempt
from nature’s violent flaws.
And so, we ponder future states
where all is just and fair
instead of realizing that
we are already there.
This world was not conceived for man
to do with as he please;
his grand appearance made less ripple
than a passing breeze.
To think your kind has rights to more
than any other type
is just misguided myth, not fact.
Please, don’t believe the hype.
04 AUG 2004
Leave a CommentWhat do you think of this?
First: Liberality, generosity, charity. The representative should not have craving and attachment to wealth and property, but should give it away for the welfare of the people.
Second: A high moral character. The representative should never destroy life, cheat, steal and exploit others, commit adultery, utter falsehood, or take intoxicating drinks.
Third: Sacrificing everything for the good of the people, they must be prepared to give up all personal comfort, name and fame, and even life, in the interest of the people.
Fourth: Honesty and integrity. They must be free from fear or favour in the discharge of their duties, must be sincere in their intentions, and must not deceive the public.
Fifth: Kindness and gentleness. They must possess a genial temperament.
Sixth: Austerity in habits. They must lead a simple life, and should not indulge in a life of luxury. They must have self-control.
Seventh: Freedom from hatred, ill-will, enmity. They should bear no grudge against anybody.
Eighth: Non-violence, which means not only that they should harm nobody, but also that they should try to promote peace by avoiding and preventing war, and everything which involves violence and destruction of life.
Ninth: Patience, forbearance, tolerance, understanding. They must be able to bear hardships, difficulties and insults without losing their temper.
Tenth: Non-opposition, non-obstruction, that is to say that they should not oppose the will of the people, should not obstruct any measures that are conducive to the welfare of the people. In other words they should rule in harmony with their people.
— Guatama Buddha, Jataka text, the Dhammapadatthakatha
Ah, are there ANY of our elected officials (or those we propose for such a task) who can measure up to THIS standard?
Leave a CommentYou can’t hang those outside our house, she said,
looking at the string of fifteen small flags
that I carefully unrolled and held out,
stretched to full arms length across my big chest –
it will look like an all-night Buddhist pub –
and everyone who passes by will stop
at all hours for a cup of jasmine tea;
or, she said low, those Monte Carlo boys
seeing blue and red colors in the breeze
will cross the street, seeing competition
for the mind-altering stuff they pander,
and maybe bust a cap in someone’s ass.
I laughed. The mind of a fifteen year old
is quite a strange place to visit, sometimes.
06 JUL 2003
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