*

~ * ~

for

each moment

life offers

an opening...

we choose

the stance...

we may allow

circumstance to hold sway,

plagued by emotional

smorgorsbod,

we are emperors of our fate,

do we afford

unconditioned

good regard?

do we opine suspicion

and fear?

let us welcome the

myriad blessings

however they appear.

truly

our stance

jewelled,

our birthright

trembles

eternally before us,

the present is

wholly complete

and pristine.

let us then:

savour,

relish, accept

without fear

of

affray.

~ * ~

*

rituals preceding

homage paid,

initially

a blank canvas,

stable posture

found by rote..

without preconception,

tho' mind occupied

with the fog of sleep and

perchance dreams..

a to-ing,

a fro-ing:

unhindered by prescription.

focus on the breath

as means of

attention.

being lost

in the wilderness

of presence..

idle wondering

as to meanings

and search for

adequacy..

forever giving it up,

routinely,

letting go,

breathing..

breathing in

the dark,

the quiet,

the unknown,

the familiar,

the frustration,

the glimpses

of peace and joy..

always breathing,

always moving on,

no where to settle,

no fear in which to abide,

just so..

bowing,

rising,

going on,

always going on,

hail, hail,

hail.

now hear this

gentle reader,

by way of

exposing the gift

of imagination

and resolve, minds

 mission is beyond perception,

hence wholly obedient

to the might of

nature..

*

when wallowing

in nether regions,

the pulse of buoyancy enables a

swift reversal of fortune;

lifted up by its own

 strength, limitless

in its meanderings,

the power of thought

moves mountains,

shifts continents,

displaces disease,

confronts

chauvinism,

dispels

disillusion,

 enables

expansion.

*

weightless, abstract,

real beyond measure,

the entire paradox of life

encompassed in its

parameters.

*

you can change your mind..

"show me where it is,"

retorts the autistic boy,

"and I will change it,"

otherwise the facade

is made manifest...

oh glorious ineffability!

the puzzle remains

 protected, hidden from human gaze,

forever shadowed by reason and caprice,

t'will not appear to speak through

its slimy grey matter.

*

no gain, no loss

no sense of accomplishment.

the bare bones of being

suffice to lay

this beast to rest..

so be it,

or not, as the case may be...

who knows?

*

scarce passes a day

without learning afresh

*

 blessed this journey

never failing to spark wonder,

teach and confound..

*

age is no barrier;

moreover

lends itself to a

growing humility and appreciation..

*

I relish the coming days,

I know not what they hold,

yet  fear less

the obvious tumult and confusion that ending

will inevitably

yield..

*

the reason is simple -

I grow with each moment;

I discover worlds

of compassion and depth

that unfold majestically and

without boundary..

*

I learn to accept,

I learn to let go,

I learn to embrace

the puzzling,

  obscure

 the profound..

*

I wallow in the love and

banter of friends and foe alike..

*

in relishing  the coming days,

I know not what they hold,

yet fear less

expecting nothing,

wanting nothing

‘cept to persevere with

the diminution of self.

bows..

*

                                                        the practice of

allowing phenomena

to be,

just as they are,

is deceptively

difficult..

*

our minds,

being reluctant

to relinquish the

powers they possess

to control,

dominate

and discriminate..

*

the golden path,

so graciously

bequeathed by

our beneficent

founder Shakyamuni, is

indeed the method

by which we develop

facility to unlock

the essence of Being..

*

continuously, the mind

wishes to control and

override the Glory

and Majesty of this

simple affair..

*

we must be perpetually

on guard, having

the wisdom and

compassion to

unendingly let go

of our understanding and

erudition..

*

like a child,

practising again and

again, unceasingly,

repetitively the same

action,

simply for the joy

and pleasure of

unremitting involvement

and loss of self

awareness..

*

absorption in the very

moment that is

of the essence..

*

essential being

stripped bare of

any pretence,

burden or

baggage.

*

only then can

we see the

pale ochre wall

as it is, a

shaft of sunlight

penetrating the four

corners of existence,

the call of the crow rises

and falls silently within

the bones of this

very moment..

*

glory and

myriad blessings

are the foundations

of formless gifts of gratitude

and love that

pour like nectar

down from the

divine source of

my being...

*

with bows.

~ * ~

*

*

holding still -

opportunity.

awareness, rising like the sun..

*

the dawn of understanding

unfolds

spontaneously.

*

life penetrates

every atom of every pore..

*

within the stillness,

immense beauty

peace and

tranquillity.

*

left behind -

confusion,

desire,

distrust

and

fear

*

cast aside -

longing,

wishing,

expectation..

*

embraced -

the moment,

as It is..

*

serenity develops -

pristine

clarity,

as sharp

as a knife,

as clear as

a bell's ring

*

the light of comprehension

banishes

all pretence,

mistrust and

puzzlement..

*

no questions,

no answers -

just -  still.

breathing.

simple.

in, out..

*

*

~*~

clarity and light

being my watchwords

of our glorious

‘indian summer'..

*

how I love

 this time of year -

late september,

that timeless moment

‘twixt summer and fall..

*

a sharpness in the air,

crystalline transparency,

a delicate dance of hope,

expectancy and fulfilment.

*

the melancholy of fall,

the slipping away

of yet another fertile chapter

in one's earthy tirade,

is around the corner

seen dimly at dawn..

*

the delight and ecstasy of summer

a still memorable reality;

discovery of new worlds

tastes, sights and sounds

engorging the palette..

*

a moment to take stock,

breathe in deeply,

savour the moment,

the joyous light dancing

and spinning around verdant

corridors of perception..

*

a chance to give thanks

for the prestige and  privilege

of inhabiting

this human form..

*

an opportunity to pledge,

with fullness of heart, to

live this sanctified existence

to the very utmost of

our abilities..

*

with bows..

~*~

*