petals of white..

lifting the soul
out of the dust
the mind awakens
to itself
as the lotus
unfolds
its sweet petals of white
from the mud
of struggle
heart made anew
as the day of birth
and the day the form falls
this light
remains
so fresh and still
non-dual
o ne always
0

have you opened your eyes today...

brother
have you seen the sky today
in its beautiful glory
have you smelled the lovely flowers
and sat by the cool flowing river
have you watched in wonder
at the shifting states of beauty
that have come to your eyes and ears
night is drawing near
and enveloping the day glow
within the fading light..
is your love growing as a glorious tree
in the fullness of summer
making you to forget your
little world of cares...
and as the head rests on the pillow
is your heart focused within
the blessings that are
here and now
a most sweet peace
melting in
oh dear one
have you opened your eyes
today...

The story of Buddha

Buddha sat under the bodhi tree to clear 

his mind of the false

why did he come to sit and how 

did he find himself under the tree

He was born in a family of wealth

that were focused on externals

clothes, royal trappings and games of love, war, sex

and worldly pleasures were their mind sets

this was very superficial in nature

and did not hold to any substance

or find its way into the heart of the young

seeker

he was looking for something other than

what came like this and gave no lasting return

he was wanting to be free of all attachments

of form and desire

to rid his mind of the false energies that rose

to haunt his soul in the morning, day and evening

he was not wanting to live like a king

for it held no lasting value 

Once his longing for freedom fully blossomed 

and he knew for certain he was not a man of 

the world 

and did not want delve further into the life

that was handed so easily to him

(like a plate filled with wonderful

foods and pleasures right at hand)

When he knew for certain

he had enough of all of this

and that his desire was firing elsewhere

in the heart to seek

this is the evening when

he took to his horse and went out with the help of his long

time companion 

and then journeyed forth alone

he did not bring with him heavy trappings of the past

as this would be very cumbersome and daunting 

for he was to journey through mountain passes and 

into lands that were very rigorous

so why then would he bring the heaviness of his

past with him

he left the wealth

he left his family

he left his child (in good hands with those in the

community to care for)

So he moved forward 

what he found in the beginning was suffering

suffering that he had been shielded from before

and he was shocked

he saw people starving and gaunt

like skeletons 

pain wracking their eyes and heart

he saw souls lost and left to waste away like shadows

he saw old age and decrepitude

he saw poverty

he saw struggle and deep despair in the eyes

of those sitting by the roadside

what a shock this was indeed

as nothing like this had ever been revealed

before

He did not go to feed these souls food

or find them water

he did not bless them or help them up to stand

he did not call them come near or even pray for them

instead, he resigned himself to find freedom so that all of 

humanity would have a map out

to be free of suffering eternally

So he wandered through the forest 

barefoot and clothed only in a bit of cloth

with the elements coming in fully as there was no door

to shut or any locks in this open land

he carried no money

he begged for food and alms

he ate what he found 

shrubs and berries

seeds and even earth when there was nothing

he slept on the dirt under the full moon

with the wild animals of nature's creation

and listened to their call in his ear

he encountered dangers

snakes, leopards, tigers and all the 

wild things that people shun

and he sat shaking and petrified

but stayed, sat, walked 

and continued

If he were to go back to where he came from

he would not be the buddha

or the example of glory

that he is 

or the one that showed the way out

of suffering

he would be another creature

that sank into worldly desire and was lost

to their own true nature 

like so many others

he would not have awakened

to the truth

So he wandered and sank into himself

in loneliness and dark places

but moved forward

he brought a lamp and this is the lamp

that lit his soul up 

(not an external light)

he had no guide

**(Though this is not what is spoken

in the scriptures as the way that all can take

without a guide.

The majority need a true sturdy guide.

He is a rare example.)**

Onward he went into the shadow land of mind

and its dark hauntings

the desires of flesh

the desires of food for the beast of ego

the desires for finding something for yourself

and holding it away as being yours only

all of the desires that haunt souls of those

in the shadows

He went into these dark energies

and did not run

and yes he was afraid and burned with the

desire to run

but did not

He found himself in many rough waters

in which he did not know what to feel or think

but he called inward always

to be present and steady

He almost wasted away to nothing

skin stretched across bone

and barely breathing

when a small girl

gave him some milk

he drank from it 

because he finally understood

the body needed nourishment

and the soul needed the body for a time

to discover the truth

if the body died now

he would have lost this chance

The bodhi tree is a symbol

of his time spent in awakening 

to his true nature

it is not a symbol that fits into your

picture of what it is

it is a shining example 

of the forthright and steady efforts 

of a soul to sit and discover himself

in nature with its spreading mystery

and open elements

the bodhi trees roots are so broad and flow

underground so deep that there is no way

that tree is going to be shaken

this is like the spirit that is steady

through the winds of change and testing

waters

this is why the ones that do enter reality are the ones

that continue in spite of obstacles

The bodhi tree is where buddha sat

for many a day 

and many and hour

he did not wander around and talk

or ruminate about what he left behind

he just sat 

steady

and the demons came

and the desires rose up

this is where he continued to penetrate

the nature of mind and its false ramblings

he shook them clean

and tore away the covers of the false

he wrenched the mind clean of its wanderings

and personal stains

he wiped the mind of its outer layers that 

blocked the light of truth

he did not reflect on what this or that meant

or hold his knowledge against the scriptures

or the lights of others

he was looking to find out himself

so he could be a lamp to humanity

this is when he awakened

when all the false nature of impurities

burnt away

and the beauty of truth lit up

Buddha is awakened

and this is what it means

to be **awake**

Wake up

Are you sleeping?
are you dreaming?
the land of here and now
still sits as it always has
and your curtains are drawn
Is it that you don't love the light?
or that you want to fight alone
the demons that haunt you
in the dark

There is another way to live
In the depths of the soul
there is a door
that is open
and if you go to it
and step thru it
there will be a shaking up of your
world with its dreams
and shadows

But like the sturdy tree in the wind
what will blow away
will only be the little
things of mental clinging
that have crowded you in
what is left is the trunk
rooted to the earth
it is not going anywhere...