Friday, August 24, 2012

Winning The War - Reprise

Quanyin - A Goddess and Bodhisattva, Chinese Buddhism

All is not quiet. That is just what it is. I don't mean in my life right now, I mean in the larger life, the one where wars do happen, where alcoholism ravages families, where children starve and where cruelty masquerades as necessity. All of it, all of it begins and ends in the heart center, in the way the energy flows from the base of the spine to the top of the head, beyond, and then back again, just like air into lungs and out again. Every war is inside me. I have no escape. It is all me, mine to take responsibility, and to heal if I can. I vow we all go to heaven or we don't. I vow to stay until the least of us goes before me. I cannot possibly maintain that vow without permission and power. And yet, nevertheless, I so vow. This is Bodhisattva.

Winning The War

You spoke with me then
About the rising rebel
Army inside me,
Inside you and how
The Master said to behave,
To bow to anger

And then step aside,

How he said no one
Wins this war straight up ahead
But by deflection.
And more, there is more.
There is lack of the power
We need. We must call,

Truly call it forth.

Written December 10, 2008 3:40 PM
First Posted March 15, 2009

The Heart Sutra, a Buddhist work offers the following mantra as the encapsulation of the path to full enlightenment found in all the wisdom traditions.

As found in the Heart Sutra this goes

Tadyatha Om, gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi swaha

Which paraphrased and translated says

"It is thus the beginning and the end of things to go, go, to go beyond, to utterly and completely and really go beyond, to become firmly rooted in the wisdom found there and from there offer praise to all."


No comments:

Post a Comment

The chicken crossed the road. That's poultry in motion.


Get Your Own Visitor Map!