NOVEMBER RAIN

Love needs no understanding

Death leaves no trace

The leaves that fall in autumn

Get washed away in the November rain

TURTLE TRAINER

Oh mighty turtle trainer!  How patient thou art!

TURTLE TRAINER- by Osman Hamdi -1906-Turkey

Five Little monsters with minds of their own

How hard you try to train them!

Their ultimate master you may be

But with minds and shells frozen in time

How can you ever control them?

The   turtle of vision, chewing on hedonic cabbage and the lettuce of lust

Can you make him sip the still waters of your mind?

The turtle of hearing, wandering in the waters of rumour and gossip

Can you make him listen to the music of love?

The turtle of smell, judging and dividing the world into shades of good and bad

Can you make him smell the tolerant fragrance of compassion?

The turtle of taste, always seeking solace in greed and gluttony

Can you make him eat the dried up leaves of altruism

The turtle of touch, always seeking comfort and pleasure

Can you make him obey the cane of self discipline?

Oh Mighty turtle trainer of the monstrous mind! How great thou art!

Five little sense monsters you seek to tame!

How great is thy patience! How great is thy perseverance! 

BICYCLE RIDE

Every step on the pedal takes you forward 

Every turn of the wheel rolls on newer ground

The rugged path ahead may be hazy

And the road ahead may let me down

But with resilient air in the tyres, to cushion me

And the power of hope to thrust ahead

With handles of wisdom to steer around steep corners

And the cool breeze of love gently caressing my face

How pleasant is it to bicycle!

How pleasant is this bicycle ride of life!

THE HEART OF EMPTINESS

The heart of all is emptiness

The soul of all is emptiness

Essence of all things is emptiness

Emptiness! Emptiness!

Everything is emptiness!

The body you and I reside, is emptiness

The mind you fathom with, is emptiness

Sensation and feeling; thought and intent

Urge and action; perception and consciousness

All of these are nothing but emptiness!

All phenomena are emptiness

All objects are but emptiness

Dependent rising is emptiness

Causality is emptiness 

So in emptiness

Nothing is born and nothing dies

Nothing is pure, nothing is defiled

Nothing rises and nothing falls

Nothing exists without the all

So also in emptiness

There are no eyes and there are no ears  

No act of seeing; no act of hearing

No thought; no feeling

No desire; no craving

No free will; No consciousness

No perception; no knowledge

No ignorance; no suffering

No birth and no death

Thus is the truth of emptiness! The wisdom of emptiness!

The heart of all things! Emptiness!

Emptiness!! Emptiness!

RISE AND FALL

In the rise and fall of every breath

Life and death join hands to play

In the rise and fall of every breath

The clock of time just ticks away

In the rise and fall of every breath

Experience fades away

In this rise and fall of every day

Which one is the last one?

Which one will take my breath away! 

WASHED AWAY

In the vicious whirlpool of thought

My drowning soul gets dragged away

In the overpowering stream of ideas

 My mind sinks to its demise

In this world of form and appearances

My deluded heart dies to preference

When the tide rises and the flood of death finally sweeps me over

What of me is still left to be washed away? 

SILENT WISDOM

If you can see the hidden shadow of sorrow,  behind the crescent of every smile

If you can feel the wounded heart bleeding,  behind the sharpened spear of anger

If you can see the darkened clouds of fear gathering,   before the ravaging storms of violence  

If you can see emptiness in all; and  fullness in all emptiness

If you can understand this wisdom and yet be keep your silence 

  

Can you still be proud my friend!    

TELL ME GREAT ZARATHUSTRA

Wounded in battle! The battle for his own holy name

Fatally frozen in rigor-less mortis!

 The Lord God is finally dead!

And Übermensch,  our only salvation,  is snoring at his grave !

The vibrant shades of the colorless truth lie scattered 

Just as brains splattered on the mind's bloodied wall  

Tell me oh  great zarathustra! What mighty prism of ideas can divide the truth?

The infinite truth of the mindless skies!

The devil of nihilism may drag you to your hell

But, if you deny it all; how could you tell?

Your eternal castles built on paradise sand

But in the world of delusion,  can they withstand?

Bound to the orbit of mortal gravity

No sailor to sail your righteousness  

No soul to salvage your selfishness  

Riding alone on the tireless horse of chaos

What mindful monster will you tame?

If life is not even,  a worthy game!

Tell me oh great Zarathustra !  Is God really dead ?

THE OARLESS RAFT

Sailing the sea of confusion

With the oarless raft of the mind!

How long will you wander seeking?

The path that, you will never find

You splash around in foamy pleasure

Though it gets you no where

You stack away, your precious treasures

When you can take them  no where

You dive to the depths of hatred

And wonder why you drown

You shut your eyes to wisdom

And wonder why you’re blind

Oh wandering oar less raft of the mind!

Set free your sail of compassion

When the winds of chaos come around

When the wave of suffering topples you

What anchor will you find!

THE THREE DOORS OF LIBERATION

Oh lost and lonely soul; wandering the mind’s deluded maze  

Don’t you ever want to break free?

Do you try to; but fall back

Fall back into the pit of carnal perseveration !

Don’t your self crafted keys of stealth and passion

Lead not to eternal liberation?

Listen then thou ; oh lost soul; to this ancient wisdom

Let the music of love play, and the bell of reason ring

As you step towards the three doors of liberation

The first door to liberation; Emptiness

Step in if you please  

Where everything is connected; everything’s a blend

Everything is composite; and it all comes to end

Nothing is inherent; and no object has essence

Where ego is delusional, and self, a mere pretence

 Thus is the eternal door of Emptiness

The first door to liberation

The second door to liberation; Signlessness

Step in if you please

 

Formless is the object; but to reality it’s blind  

Boundaries and borders, drawn up by the viewing mind

For, there is no separate existence

And there is no separate entity

Words and labels seem to point ;  but the truth is devoid of self identity

Thus is the eternal door of  signlessness

The second  door to liberation

The third door to liberation ; aimlessness

  

Walk in if you please

There is no purpose ; other that the present moment

No craving, no longing, no anxiety to torment

No wishing , no compulsion ; no pressure to do

Live the moment, and feel its true

Thus is the eternal door of aimlessness

The third door to liberation

Oh lost and lonely soul of the mind

Step through the three doors of liberation

With keys of reason and  eyes of compassion

With emptiness, signlessness and aimlessness

Wake up! Wake up to the awakened one ! 

CARES AND TROUBLES

Be thou beware! Oh awakening mind

Of cares are troubles that you will find

With newfound wisdom you may engage the world

But untold cares and troubles, often unfold

Oh searching soul! These cares and trouble are of many a kind

Differing strategies, just to sabotage the mind

Some cares and troubles, are rid by insight

And,  some are rid by restraint

Some cares and troubles, are rid by use

And,  some are rid by endurance

Some cares and troubles are rid by avoidance

And some are rid by dispersal, and some by cultivation

Such are the cares and troubles of differing kinds

The ones that sink, the even so slightly distracted minds

Oh diligent mind! What are the cares and troubles got rid by reflection and insight?

As, reflections may be unwise, or reflections may be wise

So are its fruits of this very device

 Reflecting unwisely, on self and its self-importance

Cares and troubles, that have not yet risen, rise and, those risen, increase.

Ideas of self, and its self importance, entangle in opinions and views

A jungle of views and a wilderness of views

Enmeshed in the net of overwhelming views  

The broth of sorrow and suffering, readily brews

However, reflecting wisely on the selflessness and humility

And insight into the dependently rising curtain of reality

Cares and troubles that had not yet arisen, never rise and, those risen, vanish

Such are the cares and troubles, got rid by reflection and insight

Oh diligent mind!   What are the cares and troubles got rid by restraint?

Senses without moderation

Indulgence without self-control

Seeing and hearing without moderation

Speaking and acting without restraint

Such are the cares and troubles got rid by restraint!

OH diligent mind! What are the cares and troubles got rid by use!

Foods for sustenance and not for pleasure

Medication for pain and not for intoxication

Material goods for necessity and not for greed

Talents and skills developed out of duty and not for pride

Such are the cares and troubles got rid by use!

OH diligent mind! What are the cares and troubles got rid by endurance?

Torpor and sloth, when they overwhelm you

Lust and desire, when they distort your senses

Heat and cold, hunger and thirst, when your goal lies is beyond them

Hurtful language, for the sake of compassion

Inevitable suffering by the virtue of acceptance

Such are the cares and troubles got rid by endurance!

Oh diligent mind!   What are the cares and troubles got rid by avoidance?

Places that preclude, unwholesome deeds

People and company who make you crave for unwanted needs  

Actions that foster unhealthy habits

Habits that produce unwholesome consequences

Such are the cares and troubles got rid by avoidance

Oh diligent mind!   What are the cares and troubles got rid by dismissal?

Dismissing unwholesome thoughts

Not tolerating, rejecting, and  discarding,   all thinking that leads to hatred or violence.

Not tolerating, rejecting and destroying, thoughts of lust, greed and delusion  

Such are the cares and troubles got rid by dismissal!

Oh diligent mind! What are the cares and troubles got rid by cultivation!

 Nurturing and practicing,  attention and detachment

 Avoiding passion controlled actions

 Learning to desist, overpowering impulses

 

 Understanding suffering and joy; calmness, and concentration

Thus cultivating mindfulness

Such are cares and troubles got rid by cultivation!

Oh diligent mind! Now I fathom the wisdom of the years

Some cares and troubles, are rid by insight, restraint and use  

And some are rid by endurance and avoidance

Some are rid by dispersal and some by cultivation

Such are the cares and troubles got rid by wisdom

Having rid off all such cares and troubles

The illusion of self and its inherent craving fall apart

The Truth beyond the self, reveals itself ;and  suffering finally stops

Oh diligent mind!  Awakened thus ! What more is enlightenment! 

LOTUS OF MY HEART

Let the lotus of my heart blossom with love

Let me flower! Flower to the warmth of the morning sun

Let me dance! Dance to the tune of the rippling waves

Let me spread! Spread compassion with my embracing roots

Let me rise! Rise above the murkiness of my mind

Let me fill! Fill the empty sky with Love’s ecstatic fragrance  

Let the lotus of my heart blossom and shine

Let me blossom with everlasting love!

LONESOME TREE

A lonesome tree, by  the desert plain

Left to the winds; in the wait for the rain

In dried up sorrow, and leafy tears

For better fortunes; hopes and fears

Violent gales, in a stormy weather

Hateful heat; at the verge to whither

Yet rooted to ground reality ; you silently hold on !

Nourished by life’s essence, that you have found

In Compassionate water; deep to the rocky ground!

With flexible shoots that, bend and heed

Perennial springs that, lovingly feed

And mighty roots gripping the grounded truth

No one can shake you !

Neither storms nor floods can change your course

No droughts can dry you up with remorse

Oh lonesome tree by the desert plain!

  

How mighty is your resilience!

BAT'S SONIC VIEW

The wall of music, in dark sounds of green

The noisy world, beyond what is seen

The Bat’s sonic view, of the  musical sky

 Of  echoes of creatures, fleeting by

Images and shades, of pitch and tone

Sonograms of life, and obstacles unknown

A puff of speech in grey-scale of silence

Colorless minds in harmonic resonance

Redness of red and the blueness of blue

The Qualia of life; a  mystical brew

You may look ; and you may  even see

But a  blinded bat can  you ever be ?

FOOTSTEPS ON WET CONCRETE

Footsteps on wet concrete

Fixed in time, never to retreat

Random thoughts, carved in stone

Of love and life; and, heart and bone

The changing face of the aging clock

 As moments crumble on striking rock

Plow or toil; strive or climb

But can it change the arrow of time?

Footsteps on wet concrete

Isn't  life just a one way street?

CLOUD IN MY COFFEE

The cloud in my coffee

Can you feel it ; can you see ? 

Tricking rain drops in the milky cream

Sweetened taste of the flowing stream

The silent sorrow in the crushed beans

Of powdered dreams, and living means

The sadness told in every cup

Of trees that cannot, speak up

The warmth and taste; the chocolate foam

The darker shadows, and a burning home

Dark clouds in my coffee

How do I sip it , after all I see?

MEANING AND NEED

Wandering thorough life’s turbulent seas

Meaning is what one really needs

 For it’s on meaning, life the baby, truly feeds

And its on meaning, that life’s journey smoothly proceeds

And it’s on meaning’s lack, that hatred breeds

And its on meaning’s loss, that love bleeds

So, let not meaning, spill its precious seeds

Choose it and stick to it, and go where it leads

For its meaning, what life really needs!

Without it; all is a sequence of, dead and dying deeds

So, while wandering through life’s turbulent seas

Make meaning always, the sail that leads!

FOUR SOLACES

Suppose there is no heaven and suppose there is no why

If all is empty; including the truth and the sky

If so dear friend, does it really matter; the way, we live or die ?

As belief and truth, my beloved friend

Don't always merge, or smoothly blend

Whether a cloud of dust or an angel to ascend 

all are possible till the very end

So live life  with virtue, as there is no other solution

Pure in mind, without greed, hate or delusion

And virtue, to choose beyond conflicting choices

Yields itself to the four final solaces

As suppose there is an evermore and suppose there is there is a fruit

A mind of virtue, in heaven shall surely reap

Thus is the first of the solaces 

But; suppose there is no hereafter and suppose there is no fruit

Yet here and now, free of greed hate and delusion

The mind of virtue; serene and happy it shall keep

Thus is the second of the solaces

Suppose evil begets evil, and good begets good

A virtuous mind begets only good

Thus is the third of the solaces 

But; suppose evil does not beget evil and good does not beget good

Living without hate greed and delusion; is still as good

Thus is fourth and final of the solaces 

Thus ,sweet are the ways of virtue; sweeter than honey and molasses

Free of hate greed and delusion

Great are the four and final solaces

SINKING SANDS

Can vice and virtue be held in hand 

Can salt and pepper be so bland 

As Love and passion and visions grand 

Aren't they castles, made of sand ?

And into skin,bone and marrow, must we peel 

For, is reality really,  worth the feel ?

And deep beneath the formless fruit 

clusters of the seedless truth

Lie scattered in the pathless route 

As actions urged by reeking glands 

Cant be more than sinking sands 

Tell me dear Life  

must we still go, hand in hand ?

NICE GUYS FINISH FIRST

Nice guys finish first?

Cheaters and grudgers can try their best

Twisters of truth, can mislead the rest

Yet, nice guys finish first

Abusers of power, and breakers of trust

Seem to, but prosper!

Yet, nice guys finish first

Cooperating to begin, and ready to trust

Yet, giving back cheaters with equal jest

That’s why, nice guys finish first

Now and forever; east or west

Nice guys always,   finish first!