Dharma Gateway

Death, existence, come and go, Like a tidal undertow… Waves that toss us, winds that blow, Raging storms and biting snow, Hunger, anger, joy, and woe, Hellish heat with burning glow… Saints and sages ‘in the know’ Quibble bookish quid pro quo. Artful seekers high and low Chase illusions to and fro, Board their boats and row, row, row, Partially-illumined, though… Ever-present, apropos, Where true wisdom waters flow, Those mind-opened practice, show That enlightenment will grow From the lotus seeds they sow (Equally for friend or foe) Of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Mortals here on planet Earth, Do we see a being’s worth? Know the gateway to be free? Realize where lies the key? Ancient Buddhist scrolls unfurled, Let us sense our inner world, Walk around within, explore, Enter through the Dharma door… Lost will find what’s gone amiss, In despair, in want, or bliss… Humankind at precipice, Life itself abides in this Single all-embracing phrase! Sounds profound, astound, amaze… Who recites it sings its praise, Dark of nights and bright of days… Utterness Dharma Wholly revealed! Sentient karma Lastingly healed! And we plod on… fast or slow, With the work in progress, so As to render what was heard, Each and every golden word Of the Oral Teachings by Nichiren… that is, we try— Plus some Buddha Writings, more Handed down from ages yore, Many from the olden store Still as timely as before— Thus to offer, help bestow This Nam-myoho-renge-kyo… ~ Harley White * * * * * * * * * [For Martin Bradley and Gerhard Lenz] Nam Myoho Renge Kyo means to devote our lives to and found them on (Nam[u]) the Utterness of the Dharma [entirety of existence, enlightenment and unenlightenment] (Myoho) permeated by the underlying white lotus flower-like mechanism of the interdependence of cause, concomitancy and effect (Renge) in its whereabouts of the ten [psychological] realms of dharmas (Kyo). [ See... .dharmagateway.org/harley_poems. ~ Poetry with a Buddhist Theme ~ by Harley White ]