Concentrate: Body Talk

Staying close
To the body,
Noticing
Its moods,

Seeing how
Thinking
Stirs this
Sensitive form;

But then,
Turning towards these feelings
Restores
Calm.

I set
The intention
To return
Again and again,

To follow
From thought
To body and back
When the vibrations settle.

The tension softens
And pleasant sensations
Flow from body to mind
In a gentle stream;

Bathing in the glow,
Comfortably relaxed,
How simple,
How profound:

This straightforward practice
Produces such beautiful results,
And can be done anywhere
Without any special equipment
Or ado.

Comrades: Friendly Spirits

The daemons doze,
Their little tails
Curled around
Their scaly bodies.

Meanwhile, Horse,
Bear,
And Young Woman
Stay close by my bed;

I stroke Horse’s head,
And give Bear a hug;
I know this reads like
Some kind of fairy tale!

All is calm,
And I rest carefree,
Unperturbed by anything,
Breathtakingly still:

No waves break
The pond,
Nor stir
The muck below;

I don’t know
How far
This will go,
But it is so enjoyable.

Who knew
Fantasy could be
So real,
Or so comforting?

I never would have guessed,
No, not ever predicted
That such esoteric practice
Could bring such peace.

Comprehensive: Everything and Nothing

Have I finally lost
My sanity?
I have found an intriguing practice*
That involves visualization,

Interacting with one’s daemons,
And feeding them
Until they fade
And become allies.

Mostly
I’ve been feeding shark-like creatures
Until they thin out
And transform.

My mind has conjured up a team:
A female protector,
A horse, and a bear;
What next, I’ll tell you:

One day, while I was
Ruminating on my plight
The Bear said,
‘Try seeing things my way!’

To which the Horse added
‘You tell it, Bear!’
And so I traded places
And now see how this works:

This practice is said to reveal
The inherent emptiness
Of all phenomena, and so it does!
How fascinating!
Not to mention, entertaining.
Am I faking?
You decide.


_______________

*Feeding Your Demons, by Tsultrim Allione (New York: Little Brown & Co., 2008)