Poetry

“Arahant” is perfectly “right,”
both freed from every kind of dukkha
and realized in the fullness of humanity,
more worthy of respect than any other.

Having broken the cycles of samsara,
without a self to be reborn in any place,
beyond good and bad, right and wrong — 
just a mind void of “me” and “mine.”

Heart freed of everything that ever claimed it,
with no dangers or poisons left to harm,
beyond birth and death. Check it out,
so that you realize Nibbana just like them.

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Come back, Siladhamma, come back!
A monstrous danger is building up 
for all beings scattered throughout the universe:
the enormous destruction is frightening.

Come back, Siladhamma, come back!
In the world a dark era has appeared, so 
crazy about material things, not just by chance
having a good old time with powerful things.

Come back, Siladhamma, come back!
Evil encroaches until hopes are gone.
Hurry back before it's too late
to save the world in the nick of time.

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Whatever must be done, do it joyfully,
No need for even a hair's breath of suffering.
Why foolishly gnaw on life like an old bone, 
Making human birth nothing but misery!

Incompetent at adjusting one's mind to the facts,
Making life torture and assassinating the joy
One ought to find every moment everywhere.
Roasting oneself to a crisp — what fun is that?

Come on folks, give this some intelligent thought:
This human birth, in what way is it any good?
It ought to be good at freedom from suffering — 
Suffering itself will never amount to anything of value.

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Samsara's spinning is just like stormy seas,
but its value splits off in two ways:
now nasty, now good, spinning in time
according to the concocting of conditions.

Just as wax is solid when cooled, then 
melts and flows when subjected to heat, 
the sea of good & evil twitches back & forth
— beyond is freedom, coolness, Nibbana.

“The coconut palm” tho' dwelling midst the sea of wax,
doesn't split with changing conditions.
Rain doesn't touch, lightening doesn't threaten,
because it is beyond the concocting of all evil & good.

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