An extended conversation with Dagmo Kalden Dunkyi Sakya on everything important to her, from her social work to her family
motherhood
Strength
To be believed, they say you must be bruised or ruptured, vaporized, turned to particles in the smoke, how poison ivy causes the skin to blister. Have they forgotten so quickly? Before laws and judges, there was Motherhood, lionesses fighting on the open plains.
The Day I Was Born
I imagined you wielding a steel blade with my initials worn deep into the spineopening my mind as a lotus petal floats in emptiness, radiating particlesof crazy wisdom in every direction but one.
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.
Sewn by Mom
Below the diamond shaped cloudsof a Tug Hill sunset, lying next to hisdog, with soft fingers asleep inside two heart shaped patches, where the moon barely creeps in and hissweet olive black eyes said goodnightonce or twice already. You probably kissed my forehead and looked at mewith that look you will never see yourself.
Mayadevi and the Concept of Eternity
Descent from Heaven. From rigpawiki.org Mayadevi gave birth to the prince Siddhartha Gautama in 563 BCE (other possible dates are 560 BCE, 564 BCE, or 523 BCE). The Vedic gods Indra and Brahma were witnesses to the birth. The presence of these two major gods from the Brahminical pantheon serves as evidence that it was […]
Maya: Creative Force, Illusion, and Motherly Love
Reflections. Courtesy of author. The Sanskrit term maya is usually translated as “illusion.” The etymology of the word is considered to come from the root ma, “to measure,” “to give shape,” and “to form.” In some early Sanskrit texts, maya has the meaning of “creative force” and it is related to the three innate qualities […]
Mindful Birth, Mindful Motherhood
“This existence of ours is as transient as autumn clouds. To watch the birth and death of beings is like looking at the movements of a dance. A lifetime is like a flash of lightning in the sky, rushing by, like a torrent down a steep mountain.” – The Buddha Buddha Shakyamuni gave 84,000 different teachings […]
I was Siddhartha’s Mother
They carried me into the forest. The sal trees, shaken by our clamour Showered small soft flowers on us. The trees’ slender trunks rose column-like Into the leaves, and everywhere, that scent. He was born on a floor of petals. Later, he will talk about impermanence: Bodies are flowers, fading. Faded, the newborn.