According to Buddha
Love with expectation would never last. Last love must be intangible, pure and unconditional.
that night in toronto
with its checkerboard floors
riding on horseback
and keeping order restored
’til the men they couldn’t hang
stepped to the mic and sang
and their voices rang with that aryan twang
***
horses at Free Rein Ranch ~ Lamont Alberta ~ March 2019
According to Buddha
Habits are simply thoughts grooved deeply into the brain. The needle of the mind plays those records of habits again and again. Even the chemistry of the body responds, as with addiction. Applying mind and will can change those patterns. Don’t immediately attempt dramatic changes. Experiment in little things first, to train your inherent power of command.
say a prayer for the cowgirl, her horse ran away
she’ll walk until she finds him, her darling, her stray
but the river’s in flood and the roads are awash
and the bridges break up in the panic of loss
and there’s nothing to follow, nowhere to go
he’s gone like the summer, gone like the snow
***
Free Rein Ranch, Lamont, Alberta ~ March 2018
According to Buddha
Deep down, fundamentally, we are the ‘unborn’. We never came into being and we never go out of being. All of these coming and goings are just pulses in the pattern.
margery’s dreaming of the middle of the day
tiyuri to win
perfect dozen to place
money is the matter that’s been on her mind
time ticks by her one race at a time
she’s tryin’ to be a good girl
and give ’em what they want
but margery’s dreaming of horses
***
Northlands Park Racetrack and Casino, Thoroughbred Racing ~ September 2017
According to Buddha
In the mountain hermitage which is my body,
In temple of my breast
At the summit of the triangle of my heart,
The horse which is my mind flies like the wind
He gallops on the plains of great bliss.
he’s a Spanish fly who bucks like a stallion,
in the suits that you got him, he looks more Italian.
when you worry about your tan, when the weathers getting clammy.
summer in the city, and winters in Miami.
and you get so high on the high-life pills.
cruising and boozin’ and rockin’ on the horse-sized pills.
***
Kelowna, British Columbia and Edmonton, Alberta ~ random horses ~ October 2015.
According to Buddha
If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.
don’t try to tell me to wait till i belong
you can’t convince me that what i dream is wrong
no matter what you say, you can’t cloud my head
i push the fear away…you remember what i said
you can’t stop the tide rising high, no
you can’t stop the light in my eyes, oh no
you can’t keep me down, i’ll tell you why
***
Saddle Lake, Alberta ~ September 2015.
According to Buddha
The places that we will experience in future rebirths will be the outcome of the karma that we share with the other beings living there. The actions of each of us, human or nonhuman, have contributed to the world in which we live. We all have a common responsibility for our world and are connected with everything in it.
she said slow down this train
slow down the iron that runs in my veins
***
Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, along Highway 16 ~ Alberta ~ August 2015.
According to Buddha
The Buddha can stay in the realm of not-knowing, the realm of blissful non-attachment. The Bodhisattva vows to save the world, and therefore to live in the world of attachment, for that is also the world of empathy, passion, and compassion.
it’s been thirty summers that i’ve spent with him
and i expect thirty more to pass
he has blessed my life in so many ways
that i could never turn my back
***
Ponoka Alberta, Ponoka Stampede ~ July 2015.
According to Buddha
Wisdom can teach us to separate people’s actions from who they are. We can agree or disagree with their actions, but remain balanced in our relationship with them. We can also understand that our own thoughts and impulses are the result of impersonal conditions. By not taking them so personally, we are more likely to stay at ease with their arising.
cause i saddle up my horse
and i ride into the city
i make a lot of noise
cause the girls
they are so pretty
riding up and down broadway
on my old stud Leroy
and the girls say
save a horse, ride a cowboy
***
St. Albert, Alberta ~ Rainmaker Rodeo ~ May 2015.
according to Buddha
…there were four kinds of horses. The first, upon seeing the shadow of the riding crop, is startled and forthwith follows the wish of its rider. The second, startled when the crop touches its hair, forthwith follows the wish of its rider. The third is startled after the crop touches its flesh. The fourth is awakened only after the touch of the riding crop is felt in its bones.
The first horse is like the person who hears about the death of someone in a distant monastic community and forthwith feels aversion for things of the world. The next horse is like the person who hears of the death of someone within their own monastic community and then feels aversion for things of the world.The third horse is like the person who hears of the death of someone near and dear to them and then feels aversion for things of the world. The fourth horse is like the person whose own body experiences sickness and suffering, and only then feels aversion for things of the world.
she’s a good girl, crazy ’bout Elvis
loves horses and her boyfriend too
***
according to Buddha
No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive.
***
Wetaskiwin, Alberta ~ 2013-06-15
