LATE AGAIN GAUTAMA BUDDHA
I am late again Gautama's teachings
Where’s this child? All I found was Dukkha, karma, nirvana
A man crucified. A well-rounded God
Can I be your Radha to your Krishna?
Can I be your atma bound to your dharma?
Why am I even asking, when I know already:
We were meant to grow before we're steady.
Can I be your moksha ending your dukkha?
Can I be the reward for your mixed karma?
Why am I even asking, when I finally see:
We were always fated to set each other free.
Can I be the one fulfilling all of your kama?
Can I be the one who reawakens your veda?
Why am I even asking, when I already knew:
You and I are disciples so ancient, not new.
Can I be why you may break law of ahimsa?
Can I be why you awaken too thru dhyana?
Why am I even asking, when it's clear to see:
As I shall save you, you shall also save me.
I suffered double the heartbreaks
For the way I left those two behind.
I also suffered so long for their sakes,
So I wouldn't be alone with my mind.
I suffered double all of the pain
That I caused for everyone I know.
I also suffered so much for their own gain,
So I learned we all reap what we all sow.
I suffered double the regret
For the mistakes I made in vain.
I also suffered so many years of shame,
So now all I want is to be me again.
I suffered double the solitary time,
For all the time I wasted waiting for others.
I also suffered from losing loves so sublime,
So now I am choosing one from many lovers.
By the Grace of Amitabha,
You shall transcend the Samsara,
This mantra is your Sila,
Your Samadhi, and your Prajna,
The shield that demons fear,
The call that all yearn to hear,
The sword that slices the Gordian knot
Of lustful desire and crushing fraught.
Thus, with one heart in Him seek,
Seek rebirth in Ultimate Bliss,
And save yourself from the abyss
Of the dismal infernal Naraka
By resolving for with resolute faith
The profound Dharma of Amitabha,
His Forty Eight Vows and Grace!
Dither not and seek in haste,
Leap high above cruel Dukkha,
Beyond evil karma and King Yama,
And become a Bodhisattva
Standing atop the lofty Lotus Dais
Beside Amita Tathagata,
Beside merciful Avalokitesvara,
And by the wise Mahathamaprata,
And at that time your mind will know
That you have always been Amitabha,
And your birthright is to enjoy,
Now and forever, the eternal delight
Of the Land of Sole and Lasting Light.
Poem released into Public Domain
Is it duende, if I say
the streets are empty,
the nameless streets,
empty, but watching,
hollow, but watching,
as if with soju eyes...
as if with eyes that see me
only as I seem, always as I seem,
but never as I am....
would you call it beautiful,
if pain is beautiful,
would you call it duende,
if there is art
even in solitude?
would you call it duende,
... or call it suffering?
*** The title of the poem 'dukkha'
is the Buddhist term commonly translated as "suffering".
Additionally, 'duende' , or tener duende ("having duende") loosely means having soul, a heightened state of emotion, expression and authenticity, often connected with flamenco and poetry (see Garcia Lorca). Lastly, 'soju' is a traditional South Korean alcoholic beverage (the location wherein this poem was concieved) ****
I invite the Triple Jewel from Ten directions
And from the past, present and future.
Namo Bhagavate Amitabhaya Tathagataya.
To the Buddha I take refuge
To the Dharma I take refuge
To the Sangha I take refuge
May all beings form great assembly, all in harmony
I seek the blessings of Arahats for Dharma & Vinaya
Let Transiency (Anicca), Sorrow (Dukkha,
And No-soul (Anatta) enlightened me
And be a raft to escape from birth and death.
What is transient is painful
Let not pleasure be a prelude to pain.
Birth is suffering, old age is suffering,
Disease is suffering, death is suffering,
To be united with the unpleasant and
To be separated from the pleasant,
Not to receive what one craves for.
Lead me kindly to Nirvana.
=========================================
Sixth place winner
Contets : Encore in honor of John heck
*Nirvana means salvation
how i love you is odd.
like an African long for the rain but
fear a two day pour… and secretly he adores
the sweet scent of wet soil after.
like the Kuiper Belt – on the outside, but
with Pluto it grazes the galaxy… it needs a closer look
to comprehend.
how i love you is strange – as alien as what we call
faith: believing something
that is hard to, let alone can be seen,
but nothing proves otherwise so we stand proud.
also is strange, hearing Satie’s Gymnopedie in our heads, while
chasing monsters with butterfly nets in slow motion –
an esoteric thing, enjoyed by
those who anxiously wait to travel
in the speed of light, they have stars to reach
like you; something to fawn upon.
nothing lasts, it comes and goes. but
in a way everything does last, like
how i love you;
a law of Anicca: Impermanence. a bridge
between Dukkha and Anatta. nothing lasts
because they rise and cease to
rise and cease again.
like an Ouroboros. an unstoppable circle.
nothing lasts. but nothing dies.
essentially,
that is
how i love you.
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