Saturday, March 12, 2011

tsu-mani tonglen

tonglen..
the holy secret..
the practice of taking and sending

as i wander down the ancient footpaths
from the high hill of chora to the seaport of skala
wild flowers of bright cheer wisp in the gentle wind..
the sea so blue and today so calm..
the warmth of the sun finally gracing my back..

what then of japan?
the wave upon wave of tsunami,
the after shocks that quake again, again, again..
ruin, death, devastation...

i am reminded of a quote by mother teresa..

we all long for heaven where god is,
but we have it in our power to be in heaven
with him at this very moment.
but being happy with him now means:
loving as he loves,
helping as he helps,
giving as he gives,
serving as he serves,
rescuing as he rescues,
being with him twenty-four hours,
touching him in his distressing disguise.



unfathomable,
that there is such peace and such chaos
circling the globe..living side by side..
the blessed and the cursed...
go figure ~

the only way i know to jump right in
as mother t. advises is to practice tonglen..

with every step on the path,
i breathe in the suffering,
the injustice,
the pain..
with every step on the path,
i breathe out the breeze,
the wilde flowers,
the sea..
riding the breath
inhale, exhale..
inhaling the disgrace, the rage, the war-
exhaling halva, birdsong, sunlight..

in the moment, every moment..
take up the rescue..
be the nurse the world is in need of

waves of loving-kindness pour on the shores,
waves of open-heartedness blow in the wind,
waves of OM MANI PADME HUM sound through the wires,
a great tsunami of blessings..of wisdom, of lightrays
raining down on all beings, animals, fishes, insects, species unknown -
the great mother earth..
waves up and arcing to the heavens..
the starry nights feel the radiance..
they in turn spew out the great grace bulbs
starwaves sparkling down to illuminate every heart..
inhaling the darkness, exhaling the light..
offering any delight..
green tea, paint brushes, new shoes..
taking back the horror, the fear, the tyranny...

giving and receiving-
taking and sending-
just do it!

the quality of mercy is not strained,
it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
upon the place beneath: it is twice bless'd,
it blesseth him that gives, and him that takes...

~portia, shakespeare's merchant of venice

NOTE:
om mani padme hum
is the mantra of compassion..
the six syllables completely purify
the six poisonous negative emotions
which of course, are the cause
of the six realms of samsara.....

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