Buddha mind
Burning bright
Searing serenity
Luminous light.
Buddha eyes
Warrior’s way
Diamond depth
Gentle gaze.
Buddha nature
Human heart
Sangha sings
Compassionate.
© Buddha Day 2012
By Alexandra Carr-Malcolm
Buddha Day
26 Sunday May 2013
Tag Archives: Buddhism
Enlightening Seeds
21 Thursday Mar 2013
Posted in Buddhism, Deep Stuff!, Poetry
Tags
Alexandra Carr-Malcolm, Alice Oswald, breath, Buddhism, enlightenment, Germination, meditation, rebirth, Seed, spiritual death, spiritual growth, spiritual rebirth, transformation, UK poet, vision, Yorkshire poet
The penultimate piece was inspired by Alice Oswald‘s, ‘A Winged Seed’. The idea was to write a piece based on the idea of a seed, or a spore, travelling, or germinating.
Enlightening Seeds
Sitting, just sitting…
waiting for illumination.
There is nothing
more that I can do,
other than…
sitting, sitting, waiting
for my head to crack open
in a cacophony of life,
shattered and broken,
to all that I am.
No longer
sitting,
but waiting,
waiting for that explosion of growth,
to rip forth and pull me from mundanity,
and thrust me upon the world;
as what?
I know not,
so I will sit,
and wait,
upon this breath,
of fresh air.
© Enlightening Seeds 21.03.2013
by Alexandra Carr-Malcolm
A germinated seedling (Eranthis hyemalis) emerges from the ground (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Now Change Your Life
19 Tuesday Mar 2013
Posted in Buddhism, Death, Deep Stuff!, Poetry
Tags
Alexandra Carr-Malcolm, Archaic Torso of Apollo, breath, Buddhism, death, Don Paterson, poetry, Rilke, spiritual death, UK poet, Vajrasattva, Yorkshire poet
The second piece was based on, ‘Archaic Torso of Apollo’ after Rilke, translated by Don Paterson.
The idea was to include the line, ‘Now change your life’ either at the end or somewhere in the body of the poem.
Here was my attempt.
Now Change Your Life
I smell you in my dreams.
Elusive, exclusive,
to all realms,
but what of it?
Stoic indifference,
tantric magnificence,
eyes tantalise,
and plead,
“Now change your life”
before death slams the door
on opportunities scorned,
and breath is spent,
like a match.
© Now Change Your Life 19.03.2013
by Alexandra Carr-Malcolm
Rainer Maria Rilke (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Alice
09 Saturday Mar 2013
Posted in Buddhism, Death, Deep Stuff!, Sanity
Tags
Alexandra Carr-Malcolm, Alice, Alice in Wonderland, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Buddhism, delusion, Hatter, poetry, truth, UK poet, White Rabbit, Yorkshire poet
Don’t cry, said Alice,
it’s all a game,
life and death,
it’s all the same.
Don’t be fooled,
it’s all illusion,
don’t believe,
your own delusion.
Look in the mirror,
what do you see?
a collection of habits,
that I call, ‘Me’.
Step through the mirror,
beyond the girl,
and look into,
another world.
Experience,
is one third true,
but only for,
the reflected you.
So don’t believe,
all that you feel,
the crux of life –
nothing is real.
So, White Rabbit,
I would say,
there is no point,
to run away…
and Hatter, dear,
we’re all quite mad,
pour the tea,
and don’t be sad.
© Alice 07.03.2013
by Alexandra Carr-Malcolm
Alice’s Abenteuer im Wunderland Übersetzer: Antonie Zimmermann Orginal Titel: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Illustrationen: John Tenniel (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Irresponsible Lotus
03 Sunday Mar 2013
Posted in Buddhism, Deep Stuff!, Humour, Nature, Poetry, Worldly Winds
Tags
Alexandra Carr-Malcolm, Buddhism, development, habits, lotus, mud, poetry, rebirth, spiritual death, spiritual growth, spiritual rebirth, stuck, UK poet, Yorkshire poet
The irresponsible lotus,
refused to flourish or bloom,
stuck his head
right in the mud,
and waited,
for monsoon.
He wallowed and protested,
Ostrich like – he did!
Regressed, decayed, and festered,
in ignorance he hid.
‘til one day came the sunshine,
of which he couldn’t ignore,
it beamed on him,
and warmed him,
and coaxed him from the floor.
He lifted up his stubborn head,
with squinting dusty eyes,
he blinked and stretched,
and relished it,
he felt so quite alive!
The rays of warm compassion,
a catalyst did start,
the more he grew,
the more he knew,
this was meant to be.
He blossomed and he opened,
his waxy tight bud heart,
he raised his head,
toward the sky,
and it set himself apart.
No longer dwelling,
in the mud,
irresponsibly -
the sun shone strong,
and so did he,
for all around to see.
His radiance and his beauty,
apparent majesty,
admired by all who saw him,
brought calm and clarity.
The moral of this story,
may be plain to all,
of the irresponsible lotus,
who answered nature’s call.
Please never judge a lotus,
that may be stuck in mud,
it just needs a little sunshine,
to coax open,
its heart bud.
© The Irresponsible Lotus 03.03.2013
by Alexandra Carr-Malcolm
Trivandrum, India (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Shhh…
23 Sunday Sep 2012
Posted in Buddhism, Daily life, Poetry
Learn to keep quiet,
and learn to keep still,
‘cause no one can hear you,
and nobody will.
Learn to be silent,
and watch what you say,
it’s not all about you,
it’s not, ‘Alex Day’.
No one is interested,
in all that you do,
no one is bothered,
except, maybe you?
© Shhh… 23.09.2012
By Alexandra Carr-Malcolm
dropped blue (Photo credit: renwest)
Bad Habits
20 Thursday Sep 2012
Posted in Buddhism, Deep Stuff!, Poetry
I fear I have broken me,
there is no going back;
I’ve wandered too far,
down this treacherous track.
I strayed here, eyes open,
and couldn’t return,
conditions remaining,
the habit is firm.
I dream of a future,
where I am alone,
asleep with eyes open,
conditioning gone.
© Bad Habits 20.09.2012
By Alexandra Carr-Malcolm
English: “The removal of the cracked melting pot” (1884), painting by Constantin Meunier (1831-1905) Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Brussels, Belgium (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Prapancha Soup – Recipe for Disaster!
18 Saturday Aug 2012
Posted in Buddhism, Deep Stuff!, Humour, Poetry
Tags
Alexandra Carr-Malcolm, Buddhism, Ego, envy, greed, hatred, judgement, pity, poetry, Prapancha, recipe, righteous indignation, soup, woe is me
Take a cup of envy,
and mix it with some greed,
season it with hatred,
then add some, woe is me!
Plus one spoon of ego,
marinade in pity,
righteous indignation,
will make the mixture pretty.
Make a quick snap judgement,
blend it with assumption,
now, Prapancha Soup,
is ready for consumption!
© Prapancha Soup 18/08/2012
By Alexandra Carr-Malcolm
English: Beetroot soup with vegetables and hard-boiled eggs, Sanok (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Rebirth
21 Saturday Jul 2012
Posted in Buddhism, Deep Stuff!, Poetry
Tags
Buddhism, compassion, contentment, Dharma, poetry, rebirth, spiritual death
Dharma wheel (Photo credit: Triratna Photos)
Shattered in pieces,
and thrown on the floor,
cast off the shards,
I’m needing no more.
Pick up the remnants,
still shining with glory,
cherish and nurture,
to conclude the story.
Stick them together,
and fill in the gaps,
with glue of the Dharma,
to fill in the cracks.
Little by little,
polish and buff,
shine with compassion,
but that’s not enough…
Sanding the carcass,
shave off the excess,
contentment and calm,
shows nature’s egress.
Refine the mind,
and open the heart,
continue reflecting,
we’ve made a good start.
© Rebirth 2012
By Alexandra Carr-Malcolm
Julie’s Poem
30 Saturday Jun 2012
With knitted Kasas,
we’re on retreat,
we’re not in the Order,
but we’ve reserved a seat!
We’re not a Chapter,
not quite yet,
we’re just a paragraph –
On your marks get set!
© Julie’s Poem 2012
By Alexandra Carr-Malcolm
