James Moore Poet Narrative

Notes About The Poem

The Buddha Within

(“Original Mind”, 2017, original encaustic mixed media)

The Buddha Within

People speak of the god within
Or the light within
But I like to see it as the buddha within
Buddha, as in awakened mind within.

This awakened mind in never separate
Or elsewhere from this moment,
This sense of self.
It’s just not of this self,
Not even the silent inner watcher.

What is it then? How can we know it?
More importantly how can we not know it,
And this absolute intimacy
Is why and how it goes unrecognized.

As for what it is, how can we say a thing
About what isn’t a thing?
We are left to write poems and simply dream
Confident that whatever inspires us
Is connected, inseparably, from the awakened.
Maybe this isn’t true for everyone,
But as Meister Eckhart said long ago,

“The only thing that burns in hell is the part of you that won't let go of your life: your memories, your attachments.

They burn them all away, but they're not punishing you, they're freeing your soul.

If you're frightened of dying and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away.

If you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels freeing you from the earth.”

(9/13/25)

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