Sunday June 6
*
A glimpse out
to the leading light of my long day
patiently making her way
slight gentle beautiful determined bright one
firmly alone firmly herself
to quietly remind me
that not so far away
for she I we two
our warm and bright
future day
and to her then to say to tell
of how I fashion
the part of our loom
where rests its voice
within whose form will stir
smooth stones to sound
as our cloth forms thread by thread
weft through warp
row on row
And of a quiet courtyard
where the mountain light
pours down upon the stones
brought from their places
in the heights
with care fashioned
to support with ease
the feet of wandering nomads
monks, farmers, Kings Queens
all come for but a single thing
nigh these three hundred years
The Zi chu serenely flows
into the great Dra chu Yangtze
in the midst of ancient Derge
Kingdom in the heart of Kham
Beside it descends steep ravine
where shadows rest long and deep
below buildings yet remain
it is to them we make our way
to the courtyard where stands a temple
It wondrous of itself
for within the images
of emanations three
of Manjughosa great Bodhisattva
who in robes of light green
holds the lily
white within his fingers poised
in perfect equanimity
From his essence came Sakya Pandita
a founder of Sakya of Sakyapa faith far to the west
treasure finder Longchen Rabjampa
of Nyingmapa lineage
and Tsongkhapa founder of Gelukpa
it is then these four here
that stand within these temple walls
But even wondrous there still are more
For Avalokiteshvara looks out upon us
with Amitabha and Shakyamuni Buddha
Padmasambhava Yeshe Tsogyel are here
Tara in her celestial form
Pelpung Situ Chokyi Jungne of Kagyupa faith
and the Derge King who built this place
Tenpa Tsering himself stands here
from the wall hangs a great silk tangka
where Milarepa looks out
from his stony cave
And upon the walls murals of the Buddhas
all one thousand of the aeon long
look down upon us with compassionate gaze
Yet it is not this for which have come
so many whose feet have worn the stones
of courtyard from without
For above the temple on winding stair
we hear the sound
of tapping of iron on wood
where blocks of letters are carved with skill
to create the written word
of treasures that have come from places
nigh lost to time and strife
the paper the ink is made here too
Look beautiful one
the texts are piled
from floor to ceiling
leaves loosely stacked
between covers of wood
immortal voices forever preserved
through continual renewal
the blocks carefully saved
there are thousands of them
each in its place
some have sat a hundred years
to be used anew
upon the arrival of the seeking mind
All this not so wonderful
to my straining eyes
as your gentle serious smile
beautiful as the rainbow
on a stormy day
with determined beauty
and swift uplifted grace
that endures with patient dignity
this that I see in you
beneath the open sky
on this mid afternoon
of our spring of working and waiting
Lotus blossoms rest
upon the window sill
and so we wait
two as one
we our effort
real and lasting
slight gentle
beautiful one
June 2
* courtesy of A Luminous Diamond (Bright) Crystal Show productions.
reference material for the poem is courtesy of the Footprint Tibet handbook by Gyurme Dorje.