Friday, May 27, 2005

Brigitte Bardo

Brigitte says think of everything as contingent
All fluid, all in flux
nothing static, all things intermediate
sleep the prelude to waking
dream the dawn of reality
life the afterbirth of death
death the doorway of life
cycling, cycling
nothing stays the same,
nothing static
stillness full of movement, sound...
the noise of TV alters the shape of shovels
three floors down in the garage
moment by moment everything collapses, reassembles
too fast for thought
64 parts to a moment
the blink of an eye already too much to consider.

No need to wait for death, says Brigitte
Bardo is here now
in the space between thoughts

Tuesday, May 24, 2005

And speaking of the Buddha...2

What would the Buddha do?

He'd say, "Jesus Christ! What the hell are all you moneychangers doing in the temple? Get out! Enlightenment is not a commodity. Go sit. Find a tree. Spend forty days in the desert. Don't come back until you've found the real gold."

Or not.

And speaking of the Buddha...

Coincidentally, this is also the one hundredth anniversary of Buddhism in Canada, the first temple opening in Vancouver in 1905. There you go, Buddhism in Canada is as old as Alberta. Something for Ralph Klein to think about.

Victoria Day or?

Yesterday just happened to be the day on which Buddhists traditionally celebrate Saka Dawa, the anniversary of the Buddha's enlightenment. I'm sure the ghost of Queen Victoria thrilled to the sight of all her Canadian Buddhist subjects lighting candles, burning incense and filling the sky with fireworks.

"For us? Oh my children, thank you, thank you. You are loyal and sweet and we shall not forget you. Now excuse us while we go to see if Prince Albert is still in his can..."

Monday, May 23, 2005

Laura B's Lucky Charm

Just what exactly is Dubya thinking? I watched the news last night wondering how those guys in Washington could even remotely think that Laura or anybody could recover goodwill in the Middle East without right action. What level of unreality are these people working with? It's almost a truism...the people are not collectively stupid. (You can fool some of them some of the time...) They can't help but see poor Laura's Charm Offensive as Uncle Sam's Offensive Charm.

If I were Laura, I'd be tellin' Dubya when I got home, "No sugar for you, honey, 'less'n you set up straight 'n fly right!"

Canadians will fall for a pretty face. But Hezbollah won't. You need to have some there there before you go there.

Sunday, May 22, 2005

Kerouac Gets a Comeuppance

I have always said that the greatest shock Kerouac ever got in his life was when he walked into my house, sat down in a kind of stiff-legged imitation of a lotus posture, and announced he was a Zen Buddhist ... and then discovered everyone in the room knew at least one Oriental language.
Kenneth Rexroth, 1971

Notes on Emptiness #4

obscure birdcalls from the big pine next door
disappear when you search for them
like trying to thread the needle of emptiness

Cornell Ring Cycle #2

the weight of Wagner
under heavy grey sky
too much for this suburban guy

the wit of Williams
little wagon red
wonder what the cavedweller said

Cornell Ring Cycle #1

walking down Cornell
with my buddhanature tucked under my arm
blue jay squawk, crow caw
cardinal breaker breaker breaker
robin warbles Christopher who?

squirrel sez Nuts!

Short Buddha Pome

Look at me, ignorant buddha
warming up in the practise room
memememe...

Saturday, May 21, 2005

Friday, May 13, 2005

Meditation Files: #3

Look around you...nothing comes from nothing
everything has its cause
what is the cause of you?

Body has a physical cause...the blending of earth fire water air
but the body is not you
Mind is not earth fire water air
Mind is what?
What its cause?
Is the mind you?
And if your mind loses its body...is it still you?

Friday, May 06, 2005

Sign for a Garage Sale

Books!
Thin books: 25 cents each or 3 for $1.00
Fat Books: $1.44/100grams
If your name has a Y in it and you correctly guess the number of Whys in the book you want, it's yours.
No book may leave without a cover. If the book you want has no cover, we'll rip a cover from another book and tape it to the one you want.
Canadian Classics are rare. If you have one and give us $2 we'll take it.
American Classics must pass through the metal and lie detectors.

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Yikes!

A whole month gone by with no posting!

Let's put it this way. I've been otherwise occupied. As I just told a friend: burrowing under the Yoni School for Wayward Poets. Digging a big tunnel. Like in the Great Escape.

Trivia: The movie was fabulous, literally. Steve McQueen was never in that prison camp. Nor was James Garner. In fact, there were no Americans involved in the Great Escape.

Many things going on. I should really put in a little every day. Then I wouldn't have to try to play ketchup. Most significant for me right now is the possible transformation of my Buddhist study group into some form of Dharma Centre. No time to go into it right now, but soon.
Help! I've written and I can't get up!