According to Buddha
You should be able to succeed in any profession or do anything you put your mind to.
sometimes, i feel like i can do anything and
sometimes, i’m so alive
sometimes, i feel like i can zoom cross the sky and,
sometimes, i want to cry
***
According to Buddha
There is no excuse for a wrong state of mind. You must be always positive-minded, cheerful, smiling, vibrant. By all means, practice this mental youthfulness that comes from the core of your being.
i spent the day in bed
it’s a consolation
when all my dreams
are perfectly legal
in sheets for which i paid
i am now laid
and i recommend to all of my friends that they
stop watching the news!
because the news contrives to frighten you
to make you feel small and alone
to make you feel that your mind isn’t your own
***
Strathcona Antique Mall, Edmonton AB ~ December 2017
According to Buddha
The reverent presentation to me of a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water, given with pure intention, is a devotional offering acceptable in my sight.
i left your house this morning,
’bout a quarter after nine.
coulda been the willie nelson,
coulda been the wine
when i left your house this morning,
it was a little after nine
it was in bobcaygeon, i saw the constellations
reveal themselves, one star at time
***
Terwillegar Park, Edmonton, Alberta ~ October 2017
According to Buddha
Abstaining from lying, from tale-bearing, from harsh language, and from vain talk; this is called the Mundane Right Speech which yields worldly fruits and brings good results.
your life is now your life is now your life is now
in this undiscovered moment
lift your head up above the crowd
we could shake this world
if you would only show us how
your life is now
***
White Butte Recreation, Regina, Saskatchewan ~ September 2017
According to Buddha
The you that goes in one side of the meditation experience is not the same you that comes out the other side.
they raised her up
they made her fly
they gave her roots and wings
as time moves on and years go by
she’ll miss those simple things
she’s the girl i used to be
***
Cape Gooseberries, Edmonton, Alberta ~ 2017
According to Buddha
Somehow all things have perfectly come together to bring us into existence, the chemical reactions, water, the perfect temperature, the perfect gravitational force…somehow, organisms started evolving on this beautiful earth, the sunlight providing life to everything, and the perfect system to assimilate the energies and sustain life, then came the fish and the frog and the monkey and the man.
it’s a beautiful day
sky falls, you feel like
it’s a beautiful day
don’t let it get away
***
frozen berries from the woods ~Edmonton, Alberta ~ March 2017
According to Buddha
Live your life without hurting anybody. Harmlessness is a most powerful form of yoga and it will take you speedily to your goal. It is the art of living in peace and harmony, in friendliness and love. The fruit of it is happiness, uncaused and endless.
and the vision that was planted in my brain
still remains
within the sound of silence
silence like a cancer grows
and in the naked light i saw
ten thousand people, maybe more
people talking without speaking
people hearing without listening
but my words, like silent raindrops fell
and echoed in the wells of silence
***
frozen flowers ~ Edmonton ~ February 2016
According to Buddha
It is not your passing thoughts or brilliant ideas so much as your plain everyday habits that control your life…Live simply. Don’t get caught in the machine of the world — it is too exacting. By the time you get what you are seeking your nerves are gone, the heart is damaged, and the bones are aching. Resolve to develop your spiritual powers more earnestly from now on. Learn the art of right living. If you have joy you have everything, so learn to be glad and contented…Have happiness now.
sing with me y’all:
one world, one world (we only got)
one world, one world (that’s all we got)
one world, one world
and something’s wrong with it (yeah)
something’s wrong with it (yeah)
something’s wrong with the wo-wo-world, yeah
we only got
(one world, one world)
that’s all we got
(one world, one world)
Istanbul, Turkey ~Taksim Square ~ 2013
According to Buddha
The secret of success and happiness is inside you. If you have found success and prosperity outside, but not inside, you are not truly successful. A millionaire who is not happy is not successful. I don’t mean that if you have a million dollars you cannot be a success. Whether you are rich or poor, if you get happiness out of life you are a real success.
and i feel like
some bird of paradise
my bad fortune slipping away
and i feel the innocence of a child
everybody’s got something good to say
***
Edmonton, Alberta ~ Lunar New Year ~ 2017
According to Buddha
Interdependence is a fundamental law of nature. Even tiny insects survive by mutual cooperation based on innate recognition of their interconnectedness. It is because our own human existence is so dependent on the help of others that our need for love lies at the very foundation of our existence. Therefore we need a genuine sense of responsibility and a sincere concern for the welfare of others.
is anyone out there?
does anybody listen or care anymore?
we are living on a dying planet,
we’re killing everything that’s alive,
and anyone who tries to deny it
wears a tie
***
North Saskatchewan River, Edmonton, AB ~ January 2017
