Hungry Ghosts and Intergalactic Bodhisattvas
Apocalyptic
dreams of Mara raining fire
down upon us all.
Choking on tear gas
We all screamed out for justice
We marched in the streets
We prayed to Fudo
to use his sword and rope as
a force for justice.
Petty tyrant hate
cult zombies burned everything
to the bloody ground.
Hungry ghosts with their
insatiable appetites
could not be appeased.
They brought fascism;
hatred, greed, and delusion,
started civil war.
As everything burned
we sat with the nature of
our impermanence.
Intergalactic
Bodhisattvas heard our cries,
and came to help us.
Kwan Yin saved us all,
brought back compassion and joy,
helped us start again.
When everything falls,
we can build it all again,
just better this time.
Glimmer Loves His Hummingbird Friends
Glimmer loves the spring
when the hummingbirds return.
“Welcome back, my friends!”
What if everything was sacred?
What if everything was sacred?
Every space a
holy site
Car horns blaring prayers to
chaotic cosmic deities
The dirt on our shoes
offerings of stardust
sprinkled from celestial altars
Mighty tenement temples
rising up from cracked asphalt
sheltering imperfectly venerated beings
A reminder
even that which we consider mundane
is touched by magic and awe
Including us.
We are enough.
Our very existence divine.
The Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore – Translation by Thich Nhat Hanh
I made this video as an act of gratitude after the December 2024 EBMC Bodhisattva Vows and Precepts Ceremony. 🪷🙏🏻☸️
Avalokiteshvara
while practicing deeply with
the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore,
suddenly discovered that
all of the five Skandhas are equally empty,
and with this realisation
he overcame all Ill-being.
“Listen Sariputra,
this Body itself is Emptiness
and Emptiness itself is this Body.
Tis Body is not other than Emptiness
and Emptiness is not other than this Body.
The same is true of Feelings,
Perceptions, Mental Formations,
and Consciousness.
“Listen Sariputra,
all phenomena bear the mark of Emptiness;
their true nature is the nature of
no Birth no Death,
no Being no Non-being,
no Defilement no Purity,
no Increasing no Decreasing.
“That is why in Emptiness,
Body, Feelings, Perceptions,
Mental Formations and Consciousness
are not separate self entities.
The Eighteen Realms of Phenomena
which are the six Sense Organs,
the six Sense Objects,
and the six Consciousnesses
are also not separate self entities.
The Twelve Links of Interdependent Arising
and their Extinction
are also not separate self entities
Ill-being, the Causes of Ill-being,
the End of Ill-being, the Path,
insight and attainment,
are also not separate self entities.
Whoever can see this
no longer needs anything to attain.
Bodhisattvas who practice
the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore
see no more obstacles in their mind,
and because there
are no more obstacles in their mind,
they can overcome all fear,
destroy all wrong perceptions
and realize Perfect Nirvana.
“All Buddhas in the past, present and future
by practicing
the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore
are all capable of attaining
Authentic and Perfect Enlightenment.
“Therefore Sariputra,
it should be known that
the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore
is a Great Mantra,
the most illuminating mantra,
the highest mantra,
a mantra beyond compare,
the True Wisdom that has the power
to put an end to all kinds of sufering.
Terefore let us proclaim
a mantra to praise
the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore:
Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!
Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!
Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!”
“The Insight that Brings us to the Other Shore” translation by Thich Nhat Hanh (2014) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Bodhisattva Power
Engaged Buddhism
frees us all from samsara.
We have the power.
“The way out is in.”
That’s what Thich Nhat Hanh once said.
And I believe him.
By awakening
our Bodhisattva nature
we’ll save each other.
What’s in a Dharma Name
Mirror-like wisdom
cutting through our ignorance
Clear seeing is here.
Compassionate heart
serenity radiates
Karuna is here.
Deep tranquility,
clarity, calmness, and strength
Wondrous Peace Heartmind
A Spark Igniting
Stuck in the “what ifs”
I make my own samsara
This is what’s here now.
A spark of joy in
a really dark time can change
the entire world.
Creating something
beautiful from so much pain
can give us all hope.
Mudita is here
regardless of circumstance
it is generous.
Opening Dharma Doors
Wise practitioner
maintains clarity of mind
and a sincere heart
The key to practice
sitting in stillness watching
thoughts drift by like clouds
Prajna arising
cultivating Upekkha
opens Dharma doors.
Dharma Protectors Keep Us on the Path
Dharma protectors,
Guardians of cosmic law,
keep us on the path.
Ward off obstacles,
negative influences,
protect the Dharma.
Vibrant Dreams of Kuan Yin
Dreaming of Kuan Yin,
among the lotus blooms, her
compassion shines through
She holds my sadness –
I am vibrant with her love
and I feel at peace
Enlightened Wrathful Compassion
Fudo Myoo, great
wisdom king who posesses
majestic power
Fudo’s sword and rope
transform greed and delusion
to enlightenment.
His sword slices through
ignorance and aversion.
A force for justice.
Snare of samādhi
binds the anger demons and
removes delusions.
Dharma warrior,
may we take refuge in his
wrathful compassion.
Anicca and Śūnyatā in Outer Space
Transmitting Dharma
through timelessness of time and
emptiness of space.
Witches Will Always Rise and Resist
You call us witches,
we who are independent,
healers, wise, and strong.
You fear our strength and
refusal to be subdued
You demonize us.
Burning witches will
never silence us. We will
rise up and resist.
You Already Have The Key
The key to enlightenment
is held by one who
knows they’ve had it all along.
