Monday, November 03, 2008
Poem by Thich Nhat Hanh
Padmapani
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Flowers in the sky.
Flowers on Earth.
Lotuses bloom as Buddha's eyelids.
Lotuses bloom in man's heart.
Holding gracefully a lotus in his hand,
the bodhisattva brings forth a universe of art.
In the meadows of the sky,
stars have sprung up.
The smiling, fresh moon is already up.
The jade-colored trunk of a coconut tree
reaches across the late-night sky.
My mind, traveling in utmost emptiness,
catches suchness on its way home.
("Padmapani or "Lotus-Bearer" is one of the more common epithets of Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion. A Bodhisattva is one who devotes his or her life to helping others, rather than focusing merely on his/her personal enlightenment. In my view, Thich Nhat Hanh is himself a bodsattva as are all those who dedicate themselves to making this a better world, rather than on personal advancement or ambition. All of us have something to contribute. Vote right!)
(Image is from source.)
