Are we not a little like the horsesthat drove theRoman chariots? Strangling themselvesthe harder they pull. Or more like iron bladesgrinding the grain, discovering the pain ofthe world by accident. 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, […]
What the Mind Describes
Like a thrown out first draft in a book, the young do not need to belong. They just do or don’t. And the dreams of the young are keptin mildewed cardboard boxes full of meritbadges and plastic trophies from Little League. Egg shell colored. They screech like a leaking faucet. The young are young because they do not […]
A World-Encompassing Meditation
There are those who enjoy sufficiency, comfort, security, health, a light heart, companionship, and freedom of opportunity. And there are those who are drowning in suffering, alone, disconnected. The Awakened exist in a state of peace with themselves, with their environment, and with others. They have defeated defilement and express universal goodwill: May all beings […]
I Wish to Die With a Bit of Humor
Master Jingzong; English translation by Foying, edited by Fojin How should a person die? I wish to die with a bit of humor. Let’s say I might keep secret a few good deeds I had done that were unknown to others; or I might not refute false accusations that I was guilty of certain wrongdoings. […]
M. R. Pimpare: A Full Life and a Rich Legacy
On Monday morning I received the sad news of M. R. Pimpare’s passing just the evening before, on 7 April. He and his family had been fresh on my mind, as we had done an interview for Buddhistdoor Global only a few weeks ago. His life’s passion and enduring love, the ancient caves of Ajanta and […]
More Than an Enemy
More than an enemy, we are that as well. A netherworld of suffering. A hole through the chest,big enough to stick a fist through. We grew this way; we are this kindof species. Under construction. Disembodied. Rising. Like jumbled chunks of sea ice. Becalmed by the ocean. An oracle or ordinary friends, all leaving my world like perfect […]
The Earth Which Preceded Us
From australianmuseum.net.au Insects are on your family tree. Ladybug ancestors and crustacean offspring. A family tree is years of hesitation. From microbes to plants. A chain ofinnumerable mutations. Flatworms andsponges following the design of turtle arms. We are part of a family tree that is more thana metaphor. The birds feed off our limbs. The Cycads and Conifers […]
When Everything First Began to Begin
The future is extinction, or has thatalready been said before? The drinking water is filtered with toxic rain and thetemples are draped in missed opportunities. There is a war in the future. There is a war over the future. A molten core bursting forth,it will not stop once you flip the channel. No, this illness called the […]
The Image of Sarasvati in Buddhist Art
White Sarasvati, mural at the Namdroling Monastery in South India. Image courtesy of the author Sarasvati (Tib. yang chenma) is the goddess of knowledge, education, music, poetry, and culture. Her name can be found in the Vedic hymns. In these ancient Indian texts, she is worshiped as the divine power of ritual chants and sacrificial […]
The Spiral Staircases of Corinth
When I look up at you,I feel like the glass shieldaround the flames of a candlestick chandelier, as your tears fall like drops of frozen crystal. When I hold you, I feel setlike a carved mahogany tablewith pink and creme coloredcarnations as the centerpiece. When we trust each other, our lovefeels driven by the winds, and […]