No one could save himonce he was lodged beneath the rapids.No one could breathe for himonce he was hauled onto the rocks. Weeks passed and the trips to the hospital became pilgrimages.We were just teenagers. Too arrogant to admit that it could have been any one of us. When it was my turn to go in, I […]
Author: Teahouse
Speaking of Humility
By Master Jingzong; translation by the Pure Land School Translation Team The human mind is like the earth. It possesses Buddha-nature and oceans of wisdom but is filled with the worthless debris of egotism and has lost its usefulness. If we use the shovel of humility to dig out the dust of arrogance and restore the […]
All You Need Is Love
More coveted than gold from lead is her belly laughwhile chased around the kitchen floorMore magical than wine from milkis the wise mischief in her smilewhen held, before bed with a fragile stillnessThe master alchemists of Chinawould do no better. George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications as the Hazmat Review, Moria Poetry Journal, Chronogram Journal, Ampersand Literary Review, The Angle at St. John Fisher College, and 3:16 […]
Maitridakini and Indradakini
Maitridakini and Indradakini Maitridakini, Tibet. From instabusters.net Maitridakini (Tib. Maitri Khacho) and Indradakini (Tib. Indra Khacho) are two manifestations of Vajrayogini (Tib. Dorje Naljorma), the supreme goddess in the pantheon of Vajrayana Buddhism. Just like her, they are perceived as an embodiment of complete Buddhahood in female form. Maitridakini is a Tantric goddess, originated from […]
A Buddhist Reading of “Henderson The Rain King”
As a film and literature enthusiast, I am always on the look out for stories that evoke the Dharma. Today, I have a gander at “Henderson the Rain King,” the 1959 novel by Canadian-American writer Saul Bellow. This farcical adventure is the story of a millionaire in his fifties whose inner voice says I want, […]
When Film Took More Than Time
I found this pictureof myself when Iwas less than a year old-September 1981 – in my mother’s arms, wading near a beach on the American side of the St. Lawrence River.She held me by my pits with a smile good enough to getmy father’s attention. George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in […]
Genocide is at the top
The worst of the worst. Followed by murder and arson and lynching and rape and terrorism and vandalism and discrimination and scapegoating and name-calling and jokes and rumors and biases and insensitivity and a person hung with grief. George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications as the Hazmat Review, Moria Poetry […]
How to Treat Water
Store in a copper basin with tulips or rose petals, under a salt lamp. Pray over and be kind to it. Play Mozart andChopin for it.Let it know youas a friend, and always, alwayssay thank you. George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications as the Hazmat Review, Moria Poetry Journal, Chronogram Journal, Ampersand Literary Review, The Angle at St. John […]
The reason elephants console each other
Because when the nightmoves against us, we dig inand take notice of our memories,those weightless shadows fallingon the fragile marsh. George Cassidy Payne is a poet from Rochester, NY. His work has been included in such publications as the Hazmat Review, Moria Poetry Journal, Chronogram Journal, Ampersand Literary Review, The Angle at St. John Fisher College, and 3:16 Journal. George’s blogs, essays […]
Unsolicited Advice to the Class of 2020
Grip life the way a father holds his son’srib bone after a car bomb in a Baghdad market. Treat it with speechlessrespect. Awake each morning in its belly, licking the mucous from the rubberyintestine of your own ignorance. Chase life. As children run after dragonflies.Unlock the jar and hold it like a prisoner of evolution. […]