seeking water
sitting by the river
wondering how to slake my thirst
easy
easy
who is thirsty
where does thirsty reside
drinking water no attachment
simply
simply
looking deeply
into the river’s heart
everything revealed in water
in time
in time
all is revealed
practice is the dharma
everything reveals the sangha
buddha
buddha
deep within me
positive seeds of love
meditation gently waters
growing
thirsty
who is thirsty
into the river’s heart
everything reveals the sangha
growing
Commentary.
thirsty
The cinquain opens with the word thirsty which indicates the senses and needs of a person a sentient being.
who is thirsty
The second line asks the question who is it that experiences thirst? Where does thirst reside?
into the river’s heart
The heart of the river is water, the essence of everything is its true source; its true nature. The true nature of all things is interdependent co-arising. Without this, no that, without that, no this. Because of that, this, because of this, that. The heart of the river is the experience of unsatisfactoriness, the human condition.
The cause of unsatisfactoriness; false self-identification. The idea of an independent I.
I want what I haven’t got; attraction.
I don’t like what I have got; aversion.
When I get what I want I fear I will lose it. Realising change is inevitable fear arises as I imagine losing that which I have; impermanence.
I lose what I have, things don’t go my way, people upset me; anger.
All this stems from views. When this I separates itself from the rest of the world using terms like ‘me’ ‘mine’ and so on, the idea of an independent self becomes consolidated. It’s fragility causes it to become defensive; it is a concept based on sand and doesn’t bear scrutiny.
Where is the I? Where does it reside? Looking deeply, which means meditating, which means relaxing and letting go reveals only non - I elements. A list of elements which are not I; blood, bones, skin, hair, memories, history, genes, etc. The list is endless. Of course it is, because I am timeless, endless. There was no time before these elements were not abiding in the universe there will be no time beyond which these elements will not exist. These elements always existed, I didn’t come from nowhere, I was not born and cannot die. This does not mean that I am insubstantial, it means that when the conditions necessary for me to be here arose - here I am! When these same conditions withdraw, there I go. But nothing comes and nothing goes.
everything reveals the sangha
Looking into my breakfast bowl I am constantly amazed and reminded of the whole universe being present there, every body and everything is there. My mind boggles when I start the journey of thanksgiving to all the people involved in it appearing on the table. Eventually it encompasses every living being, every person who ever lived every thing that ever existed, I can truly see the sacredness in this little bowl of food. It encourages me to eat it mindfully, remembering the preciousness of this human life and those for whom this luxury is a dream.
growing
In the garden I watch the seed emerge from the deep darkness of the soil. As a seedling it is vulnerable, with water and protection it grows into a young plant. It flourishes into a beautiful plant fulfilling its potential and gifting the world with its good grace. After a while it produces seed itself which falls to the earth. Later its own body ages and collapses into the ground. Broken down it becomes what it always was the earth which provides the conditions for future life. Only water and a little heat are required, necessary conditions, for the whole process to keep going.
Practice; sitting, resting, calm abiding are the the necessary conditions for realisation to grow and manifest.
Nothing new here…
The Buddha said.
“When the Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths he repeated them three times, expanding them successively.
First he said,
“There is suffering in this world.
There are causes of this suffering.
There is cessation of suffering, and there are ways to reach the cessation of suffering.”
Then he said,
“There is suffering in this world, one has to understand it.
There are causes of this suffering, and one has to eliminate them.
There is cessation of suffering, and one has to attain it.
There are ways to reach the cessation of suffering, and one has to work upon them.”
The third time he said,
“There is suffering in this world, one has to understand it, but actually there is nothing to understand.
There are causes of this suffering, and one has to eliminate them, but actually there is nothing to eliminate.
There is cessation of suffering, and one has to attain it, but actually there is nothing to attain.
There are ways to reach the cessation of suffering, and one has to work upon them, but actually there is nothing to work upon.”
This was the first teaching of the Buddha, which he gave at Sarnath to his first five disciples: Kaundinya, Bhaddiya, Vappa, Mahanama, and Asvajit.” *
*Tulku, R. and Fuchs, R. (2005). Daring Steps Toward Fearlessness: The Three Vehicles of Buddhism. Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, N.Y.
