no longer bound
by what I thought I owned
no longer living in another person’s life
I am whatever I will let myself become
last night I dreamed a flying turtle
wolves inside a mountain burning arrow
at the bottom of a lake
mind which neither grasps nor rejects
Buddha’s
teaching cannot be
attained by having ideas
or not having ideas. Only when
the mind of pure practice coincides
with the way will body and mind be calm.
If body and mind are not yet calm, they
will not be at ease. When body and
mind are not at ease, thorns
grow on the path of
realization.
So that
pure practice and
the way coincide, how should
we proceed? Proceed with the mind which
neither grasps nor rejects, the mind unconcerned
with name or gain. Do not practice buddha-dharma with the
thought that it is to benefit others…Do not practice buddha-dharma
for your own sake. Do not practice buddha-dharma for name and
gain. Do not practice buddha-dharma to attain blissful reward.
Do not practice buddha-dharma to attain miraculous
effects. Practice buddha-dharma solely for
the sake of buddha-dharma.
This is the way.
what wondrous function is
All that’s
important is concentrated
focus, purity, and stillness. Even when
you are engaged in doing things, this is not something
external. Take hold of them and return them to yourself —
this is what wondrous function is. The eighty thousand
sensory afflictions are immediately transformed
into eighty thousand means of transcendence,
and there is no more need to make
a special point of studying
with teachers.
it’s within your power
Wherever you find yourself,
it’s within your power, at every moment,
to be reverently content with your present circumstances,
to behave with justice toward the people who are presently around you,
and to manage your present impressions so that nothing
slips into your mind that you haven’t
adequately grasped.
make room for more light
Our actions
entrench the power of the light
on this planet. Every positive thought we pass
between us makes room for more light. And if we do more
than think, then our actions clear the path for even
more light. That is why forgiveness and
compassion must become more
important principles in
public life…
Anchor the eternity
of love in your own soul and embed
this planet with goodness. Lean toward the whispers
of your own heart, discover the universal truth,
and follow its dictates. Release the need
to hate, to harbor division, and the
enticement of revenge. Release
all bitterness.
Hold only love,
only peace in your heart,
knowing that the battle of good
to overcome evil is already won. Choose
confrontation wisely, but when it is
your time don’t be afraid to stand
up, speak up, and speak out
against injustice.
And if you
follow your truth
down the road to peace
and the affirmation of love,
if you shine like a beacon for all to see,
then the poetry of all the great dreamers and
philosophers is yours to manifest in
a nation, a world community, and
a Beloved Community that is
finally at peace with
itself.
that glorious saint John Lewis