MY  HEART  ELOPED

This day I awoke to the hymn,
“Buddham Sharanam Gattchami”,
And the Buddha’s message I imbibed;
This chant permeated my being,

…. And my heart eloped.

I saw colors flow through my veins,
The brilliance of sound filled all space,
I felt aromas caress my brain,
Answers came in a steady pace,

That’s when my heart eloped.

The image that gives me rapture,
Is of the true embodiment of peace;
Deep in meditation, with graceful gesture,
Yet, through the veil, came the Buddha’s gaze,
The veil that’s hiding the all-seeing eyes.

 “Dharmam Sharanam Gattchami”
Was his call, to seek refuge in Dharma;
Low caste and high, peasants and Kings,
All Indians heeded this and strove to abide.

“For those who are always courteous and respectful of elders, 
Four things increase: life, beauty, happiness and strength”;
These words and their timeless values,
Guidance these offered to those who took refuge.

“The Middle Path” the Buddha preached,
Through Mahayana and Theravada ‘vessels’.
To the rest of Asia his message reached.
With “Sangham Sharanam Gattchami” he urged,
In the group, he guided all to seek refuge.

Buddha’s message thus flows through the ages:
“Consider others as yourself”.

“Whoever who would tend me,
He should tend the sick”.

“One is the way to gain,
The other is the way to Nirvana.”

“Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death,
Can erase one’s good deeds.”

“Do not dwell in the past, 
Do not dream of the future,
Concentrate the mind on the present moment.”

“Words have the power to both destroy and heal;
When words are both true and kind,
They can change our world.”

“Meekness is most powerful,
For it harbours no evil thoughts.”

“Rely not upon your own will; 
It is not trustworthy.”

“Passions grow from the will,
The will grows from thoughts and imagination.
When both are calmed,
There is neither sensualism nor transmigration.”

“In this world hate never yet dispelled hate;
Only love dispels hate.
This is the law, ancient and inexhaustible.”

“Let us live happily, possessing nothing”

“Giving truth surpasses all giving”.

“When your mind is completely liberated,
You no longer undergo birth and old age”.

Without invoking sin nor punishment,
Without invoking fear of the divine,
Through simple yet profound sentiments,
The way the Buddha found into my being, 
And to his message my heart eloped...