Noble: Frugal Pursuit

Lamp fell, lampshade tore
Mended well with packing tape
It is unique now!

Nimble: Sutta Reading*

Seeing between the lines
laughing at my own folly
securely in touch

*Here I had been thinking about a Sutta I read some time ago, where the Buddha supposedly declared, "I am Brahman," which had confused me at the time, given his supposed teachings about the "self," but then later it occurred to me that although this could be true it was also kind of a joke because based on what I know now it does not matter.  One of the clues was from several other talks I heard that referenced the Suttas as being full of puns that you had to understand the original Pali language to get and some of the texts turning out to be making fun of texts from other traditions.

Nibbana: Haiku III

Not all the time and
not even every day but
cessation's 'in play!'

Nibbana: Haiku II

Bringing attention
to all that I do,
to see cessation shine through

Nibbana: Haiku

Saving energy
to see the cessation of
sufferings's arise

Nibbana: Everyone

I see suffering;
I see misery
But I also see
that it has an end!

And that
this
end
is...
glorious!

The Buddha reported
His methods supported
Seeing beyond
the imagination.

And this
is so.
But
How?

Because,
as for what
is beyond
the imagination...

It is
what is
of course!
And that I can see.

And that
everyone
can
see,

If they look carefully
with
a clear mind
and a still body.

Nibbana: adukkha

When I had stilled the body with the four Jhānas and the mind was thereby concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilement, pliant, malleable, steady and [imperturbable] (MN36), I directly knew: when the body, the mind and the self are set aside, nothing terrible happens.

However: Forging Ahead

My concentration practice led to the hypothesis that
Tis not wanting, nor not, nor neither that causes suffering
But imbalance:  one-pointed obsession on any of these three,
And that what is needed is a wider view
That encompasses this trio and all else too;

And this has opened out into
Returning once again to practicing mindfulness
As a potential solution or at least a useful tool
For pursuing the aforementioned goal;

But what a tricky task to undertake!
To try to exercise sound judgment on what to attend to
And how to respond or act
In the most skillful and beneficial way;

And how full-circle again I thought it today
While on my way to grocery shop
That I found that concentration too
Was so equally important for sustaining attention to this goal;

It is so easy to forget,
Become distracted and fall back into old habits;
Continuous effort is not easy to achieve
And then even that may become just another obsession or extreme;

Even following the middle way
May become just as fanatical
As chasing after any other goal
If it becomes too mechanical;

Regularly swinging back and forth appears unavoidable
And the frequent stops and starts may be unenjoyable,
Like the rush hour traffic during construction today:
Almost as painful to watch as it is to participate in;

But still I strive on as best I can,
Simultaneously developing compassion for all of us who are stuck
On this crowded, noisy congested avenue, exerting ourselves towards
Arriving at whatever destination we look forward to.

Headway: Next

After many busy practice days
I concluded that my goal was just this:
The regular pursuit of
Non-sensual mind-calming bliss;

But then one day, fully overwhelmed by
Ferocious hatred and passion for vengeance,
I asked myself, 'What if
My desire was fulfilled forthwith?'

Imagining such brought forth
Intense non-sensual joy
That I then sought to increase
After dropping the original object of it;

Having thus, through right effort, purified this happiness
And similarly vanquishing all hindrances to it,
Even those that hadn't arisen yet!
I moved on to a yet greater task;

I asked myself, 'What if
with a single finger-snap I could ensure
For all time that
No such hindrances could ever arise?'

And right then there ceased
All discrimination along the lines of
'What I want, don't want or neither,'
which result felt like nothing I could describe here!

But also led to the cessation of
All action and will to action,
which I found not to be
A very helpful consequence;

'Then, perhaps,' thought I, 'tis not
Wanting, nor not wanting, nor neither that's at fault
But imbalance:  one-pointed obsession on any of these three,
And that what is needed is a wider view
That encompasses this trio and all else too!

Gauging: Practice Adjustments

I have learned
Through direct experience,
The pitfalls
Of certain practices

When practicing mental seclusion
From greed and distress
Towards the world,
One must be on guard

For even from within the ensuing steadiness,
Equanimity and apparent clearheadedness,
Into the mind that is new to this
Enters most profound deludedness

What at first appears to be happiness,
Enthusiasm and openhandedness
May turn out to be thirst
Towards worldly passions or worse!

And to this one needs bring mindfulness,
Investigation and analysis:
Determining what is really happening
And dispelling delusion with wisdom

Recalling to mind the consequences
Of following the wrong way:
That which leads to bad outcomes,
One well travelled, now to be abandoned

This constant rememberance appears essential,
To not forget that which is fundamental:
That succumbing to unhealthy desires
Is how this samsara wheel got started

It is crucial to not be fooled,
Not be taken in once again
The remedy being constant practice
With insight into delusion
As well as concentration resulting in seclusion

Gallant: Cultivating Seclusion

Cultivating seclusion
From
Greed and distress
Towards the world

This is the recurring theme,
The current scheme
Around which
I organized today's activities

How does one
Seclude the mind
From craving such delights
As a bowl of gourmet stew?

When filthy pesky pigeons
Rudely intrude, getting in the way,
How does one seclude the mind
From greed and distress?

(And these occurrences
Are mere perturbances,
Minor day-to-day irritations,
Not even major catastrophic cataclysms!)

It's impossible of course
But having accepted that as well,
One is free to carry on,
Benefiting now and in the long term

These actions requiring much effort,
Nevertheless provide much temporary relief
From the daily grief
Of plodding through this flawed world

And this work may herald
Further gains:
Freedom from imperfection;
The end of samsaric bane

Furthest Yet: Over the Top!

There was noise
Quite a lot of noise,
Not unusual
At this time of year

While I waited
For 11 p.m. to occur
I tried a guided meditation
By myself, for myself

I focused on the aversion
On this occasion,
Asked if I could use it
To propel myself away from the world

I considered the world,
The imperfection of the world
Broke it down
To all its elements

Analyzed it down
To all the senses,
Contact at the senses,
The sense organs and the sensory processes;

All thinking
And all types of awareness;
The form of the body
And the form of the world:

The endless fruitless cycle
That repeats
And leads to nothing
But more of the same

Instructed myself
Not to take up any of it,
Not in any way;
And so passed the time
And then carried on with determination

Fairyland: First Day Off

What a change! So strange!
But twas a beautiful day, sunny and hot
And towards late afternoon,
I had a peak out

On the balcony,
All was quiet
And so, I decided
To drink my tea out there

But first I had to
Cover the plastic chair
With clean cloth,
As it was dirty on top from lack of use

And then,
I pulled out
The tiny round table,
Painted an ugly shade of pink,

No wonder it was thrown out
By somebody or other,
Because aside from that
It was badly stained,

But to me it mattered not,
As after washing it off
It was perfect for the spot
Right next to my similarly found chair;

And so, after steeping the tea
In a big green mug,
I placed it on the table,
Sat happily sipping it up and appreciating the view.

It then occurred to me I could even read;
I grabbed an old novel, The Mists of Avalon, would you believe?
And read and read, already well absorbed on the tranquil eve
Of my first real day off, in many a long year!

Fade: Leave Taking

My last night on
Was quite a mess,
So much went amiss
And the cause?
Twas one of the usual suspects, of course!

But I won’t go there,
Not wanting to
Single anyone out,
Even one who deserves it,

As I’m gone anyway,
All is left behind,
Renounced and abandoned
For all time;

But as a consequence
Of this rude behaviour,
I could not say a proper goodbye
To the last caller!

Nevertheless, at the end of the shift,
I took the opportunity
To give a proper farewell to the premises,
Which shall be greatly missed.

After everyone else had left,
I pondered the many memories
Of this venerable old building
That is amazingly still standing!

So much has echoed
Through, inside and outside
These aging walls,
What secrets they could tell!

I sat long and wandered, lingering,
Remembering much, longing for some of it
And glad some else had passed,
Saying final farewells and taking my last leave at last.

Facing: Saying Goodbye

Twas a pleasant little party
For my departing,
Complete with small gifts,
Cheese, fruit and bagels,

Nothing much
For such a long tenure,
Not even a plaque
For my 15 years of labour!

Just like that,
I’m out of here,
No bells or whistles,
Nor even ribbons or bows.

Just as well though,
As I dislike fuss
And have often said thus
And so, this is what I got.

That’s okay,
Even though it’s not a lot,
At least I was well fed,
Instead of fed up!

I’ve always liked feasting
But also like to follow
A healthy diet
Wherever I can get it!

And so, I filled my plate many times over,
Making sure, there were few leftovers,
Nevertheless, doling out as lavishly as I refilled,
To the evident enjoyment of all present

But taking some of it home, in the end
And now, onward I go
For another few days,
Until I finally exit to
That which next awaits.

Facilitated: Just Another Swan Song

It might have been
Something
That happened
At work,

It might have been
The hot weather
That
Sent the signal

Or
It might have been
Only just
Time to go

But
I’m leaving
This job behind
And I don’t want
To write about it or remember anymore;

It’s gone,
It’s just a ghost,
I can hardly wait to
Get past this post,

To abandon this pit stop,
If it even was that!
Goodbye to all
And get on with it!

No bags to pack,
This time, not even that,
For I didn’t even have
My own desk at which to rest

But had to keep moving around
And so, maybe this
Is just a continuation
Of that motion.

Facets: Searching

A garden centipede
Has taken up residence
And occupies itself
Crawling back and forth
Across the carpeted bedroom floor;

It follows roughly the same lines,
Popping up alarmingly
From somewhere at different times,
Hunting for its prey, I presume

And thus, in order to avoid
Tramping on it accidentally,
I’m tempted
To put up a sign: “Centipede crossing,”

Although,
I’m not sure
Exactly where
This sign ought to go,

Hanging from the ceiling
In the middle
Of the room
Seems best

But I’m not sure how
I would get it
Up there
Or on what I’d hang it up;

Meanwhile,
I’m moving onward
To pursue some goals of my own,
Some as yet unknown

And so, I walk back and forth now
On the same carpeted floor,
Thinking out my next move,
In my own pursuit of something elusive.

Fabric: Holding it Together

Tired,

Ever so tired

Because it’s time

To go to bed

But,

I got caught

On words and thoughts

Related to my busy day.

There’s so much

Going on inside my head

And I’m not sure

How much longer it will get,

One word

Leads to another,

One thought,

Piles upon another,

I keep finding my way out

Only to find

My way

Back in again,

Forgetting and

Remembering my place,

Accomplishing a little

And then lost in thought once more,

Awaiting the finish

Of my computer’s

Latest virus scan

Before retiring,

Watching the numbers

Flash upon the screen,

‘Too slow!’ I fume,

Before turning away

And writing this poem.

Eyewitness: Life of the Party

What to do,
When cheering
People up
Is your business

And you’re feeling
Incredibly glum?
Buck up,
Old chum!

There’s nothing else
That can be done
But pull oneself up
From the latest slump,

To rise up
With a roar,
Dance back and forth
Across the floor,

Thumb your nose
At your troubles,
Blow away your woes
Just like bubbles,

Let them rise
Into the sky
And burst by and by,
Leaving no trace as they fly,

Take no notice
Of the gloom,
Jump up and down
Until noon

And soon
You’ll forget
About all your upset
And boogie once more.

Eyesight: Sailing the Briny Deep

Fire and brimstone
Me hearties!
As everything’s
Gone mad again!

It’s too far to go
To get what I want
And so, I’ll have to
Fight on, for what I’ve got.

Not sure what’s the point
But I’ll soldier on anyway,
Because life’s just
This way:

If we go forth unchallenged,
We get flabby and lazy,
If we have no obstacles,
We resolve into gelatin,

Thus we have to struggle
If we’re going to succeed
At staying afloat
On the rolling sea,

Hence, it’s
Look alive
Me hearties
And climb up into the rigging,

Setting the sails
And tacking
For as long as
The headwinds blow

And then, taking a rest
When the sun sets
In the west,
Providing the winds settle at dusk.