The Buddha’s Last Instruction
by Stanley Kunitz
"Make of yourself a light"
said the Buddha,
before he died.
by Stanley Kunitz
"Make of yourself a light"
said the Buddha,
before he died.
I think of this every morning
as the east begins
to tear off its many clouds
of darkness, to send up the first
signal-a white fan
streaked with pink and violet,
even green.
as the east begins
to tear off its many clouds
of darkness, to send up the first
signal-a white fan
streaked with pink and violet,
even green.
An old man, he lay down
between two sala trees,
and he might have said anything,
knowing it was his final hour.
The light burns upward,
it thickens and settles over the fields.
between two sala trees,
and he might have said anything,
knowing it was his final hour.
The light burns upward,
it thickens and settles over the fields.
Around him, the villagers gathered
and stretched forward to listen.
and stretched forward to listen.
Even before the sun itself
hangs, dis-attached, in the blue air,
I am touched everywhere
by its ocean of yellow waves.
No doubt he thought of everything
that had happened in his difficult life.
And then I feel the sun itself
as it blazes over the hills,
like a million flowers on fire-
clearly I'm not needed,
yet I feel myself turning
into something of inexplicable value.
Slowly, beneath the branches,
hangs, dis-attached, in the blue air,
I am touched everywhere
by its ocean of yellow waves.
No doubt he thought of everything
that had happened in his difficult life.
And then I feel the sun itself
as it blazes over the hills,
like a million flowers on fire-
clearly I'm not needed,
yet I feel myself turning
into something of inexplicable value.
Slowly, beneath the branches,
he raised his head.
He looked into the faces of that frightened crowd.
He looked into the faces of that frightened crowd.
and
2 comments:
these are the greatest Gifts you
give me, these links to things i would never even know exist.
this is very beautiful...and again
the same words, very and beautiful
so worn. but i know know no other.
and Michelle...i will take a pic
later and blog it, but the silk scraps you sent, the beautiful depth of the dye....suddenly i know. i have stitched a flag to
the small Russian Olive out back where the new fence is, where the goats will visit during the days. and i suddenly realized that that space also is a meditation Place. this morning i had suddenly realized (earlier) that i had been told i could haul off pallets from
the hardware i frequent. i can build varying Diamond mountains with them and than passages one to another with boards. and when i
saw the WindHorse flying just now
on that tree, i realized too that in early mornings and then at dusk, i can use those mountains for Sitting. oh...oh just EEEE and
eeeeee
this is SO great.
Oh Grace.....you are so Eeeeeeeeee, and so will be the diamond mountain with it's wind horse flapping in the blessed breeze--Oh let there be a blessed breeze always for you!
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