The Dharmafarers

Awakening moments (more reflections)

 

Awaken! The dawn is almost come

Open your eyes, the light is all around

Look, you will see yourself in others

Love, give what is not yours to keep                             1

 

A bee drinks a flower’s taste, sharingly

A bird flies freely in the sky, trackless

Its shadow touches the water, rippleless

Fill your life with spacious breath, selflessly                  2

 

There is no presence like this very moment

Free your thought, slave not after the past

Be not a future robot: the future is now

There is no moment like the present                            3

 

Peak experience? What goes up, goes down

Success? You must have known failure

Wealth? To have is not always to be

Reputation? Do you even know yourself?                    4

 

See yourself as you would see others

Be truly kind to those who do not deserve it

Smile at the joy of others, it’s easy really

You have done your best, it will all pass                        5

 

Seek outside, you will find what you are looking for

Grasp something, your hand takes its shape

Let it go, you’ll be more than what you ever have

Seek within, see the truth that’s waiting for you            6

 

Time runs out if you run after it

Time stands still if you breathe rightly

Time grows if you love the moment

Time-free, when all is done and over                            7

 

Those who talk a lot must have failed in everything else

If you listen only to them, you will lose even more

Gentle silence makes true music of what we hear

Inner stillness is the canvas for breathless beauty          8

 

Author’s notes

This poem was inspired after my reading of Stephen and Martine Batchelor’s picture poem, “Lazy Little Guide to Enlightenment,” and from which I have taken a couple of lines.

The first verse is about interbeing, how all things are related in a conditioned manner, so that we only need to look at how interconnected we all are and to rejoice in this. This is the beginning of self-know­ing.

Verse 2 is based on Dhammapada 62 and 93. The idea here is that of being in harmony with everything around us, not exploiting anything. When we are at peace with everything around us, it is easier to be at peace within.

Verse 3 is a reminder of our life’s precious moments, that is, a life well lived. This echoes the wisdom of the Bhaddekaratta Suttas (M 131-134).

The first line of verse 4 is an insightful line taken from the Batchelors. Building on it is a reflection on how we should view things of the world. We need to differentiate worldly conditions and true happi­ness.

Verse 5 flows from verse 4, reminding us how we are intimately interconnected with others in the world. It is a reflection on the four divine abodes: lovingkindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equa­nimity.

Verse 6 is a reflection of inner renunciation. The world outside is what we make of it, projections of our minds. When we understand better how we think and feel, we know the external world better. The second line is probably from one of the Upanishads.

Verse 7 speaks how we view time and our priorities in life. We tend to have time for people and things we like more than others. But do we work towards what is really good for us?

Verse 8 is a humorous take on success gurus who try to sell their images to others. Often we have to pay hefty sums only to learn their essential teachings which are actually elaborated in Buddhism. The best way to true success is to know our own hearts.

The poem is very much more than this. These are only brief notes, partly to credit my sources of inspira­tion, and also to encourage you to feel the poem for yourself, and perhaps discover some wonderful things about yourself.

Piya Tan ©2011

 

 

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(1) Simple Joys by Piya Tan, 2009, 2nd rev 2011.

 

Simple Joys: a collections of weekly reflections by Piya Tan, 2nd rev 2011.

[download: Simple Joys by Piya Tan 2nd rev 2011 (ebook, low resolution, size 783 KB)]

[download: Simple Joys by Piya Tan 2nd rev 2011 (high resolution, size 1553 KB)]

(2) Revisioning Buddhism by Piya Tan, 2011.

Revisioning Buddhism: an inspired re-look at the Buddha’s example and teachings by Piya Tan, 2011.

Download Revisioning Buddhism Piya Tan, 2011

 

(3) Simple Joys 2: Healing Words by Piya Tan, 2011.

FOREWORD to the book: This is a book of readings for thinking people, for those who value self-understanding. We might see this as self-help servings of heal­ing words from early Buddhist recipes for emot­ion­al health, a full life and spiritual liberation. Read more…

 

Bhante Sujato — Piya Tan is “a rare teacher in the Buddhist world. Based on his own extensive experience, his authentic, intelligent inquiry in­to the Buddha’s words is applied to the urgent task of discover­ing how to best live in a changing and challenging world.”

I have often used his detailed studies of Buddhist scriptures as guides for my own classes.

In Simple Joys, however, he speaks not as a scholar, but as a practitioner. In this he shows the paradoxical truth of a genuine spiritual path: as complex and demanding as it may be, the deepest truths are always simple.

Bhante Sujato

Abbot of Santi Forest Monastery

Australia

 

Free copies of Simple Joys 2 is available at The Minding Centre and Buddhist Fellowship. Please call 8211 0879 (Ratna) or email us at: themindingcentre@gmail.com if you are interested.

Download soft copy here.

BBC Interviews Piya:

Smartphones make religion mobile (2nd Sep 2011): Link

 

Dharma Talks at Buddhist Fellowship, Singapore:

1. Little Dust in Their Eyes (1 Nov 2009).
2. Happiest Moments in My Life (3 Jan 2010).
3. What is Vipassana Meditation? (4 Apr 2010).

 

Others recommended videos:

1. Stroke of Insight: Brain researcher Jill Bolte Taylor studied her own stroke as it happened — and has become a powerful voice for brain recovery.
2. Buddhism in A Global Age of Technology by Prof Lewis Lancaster at UC Berkley
3. Life of the Buddha from BBC.