Utah Buddhists Online Sangha

 These poems are small teaching of the way of the Buddha 

Out from the north of India
The way was cleared, by
The awakened one

Gautama.

Life is what it is.

Giving birth to emotions
like winds that topple
or if harnessed fill the sails
Of the ship of the eight

Fold path –

Right
Views
Thoughts
Speech
Actions
Livelihood.
Mindfulness
Meditation

Turing the wheel of the teaching
Taking us to the other side.

 

 

2.      Buddha Statues

Showing the way

Buddhas on the altar

–                       sill just stone.

 

 

 

3.      Incense

 

Before the altar
Deep bow
A blue ribbon of incense
Rises in front of my eyes –

Namo amitabhaya

 

4.      Flowers

children chasing
butterflies, little Buddhas
In a field of poppies.

 

Soon to be covered in snow

 

 

 

5.      Candles

I light a candle

Place it on a table

By the window

 

-Dark windy night.

 

 

6.      Hands together

 

Hands together in gassho

All beings one with me

Bowing

Namu amida butsu

Namu amida butsu

Namu amida butsu

 

7.       Buddhist Beads

 

Mother, father,

Brother, sister,

Friend, stranger

Flower, tree,

Mountain, Ocean,

each a bead passed

through my fingers

One at a time,

One with me

while chanting

 

The Buddha and we are one.

 

 

8.      Lotuses

From the mud

the white lotus

even whiter.

 

 

9.       No Sin

Missing the mark

Or Off center,

Buddha centering

wisdom.

 

 

10.   Impermanence

 

Falling blossoms

Feed the trees roots-

 

Children picking cherries

Shits stained red

 

like their parents’ were

not so long ago.