Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

The New Poetry Thread

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    Samadhi

    Thank you for starting this thread Charles Siheng and greetings brothers and sisters 😊

    I love poetry and the writings of saints always stirs my heart and inspires me.

    There's so many to chose from 😄
    I love this poem called 'Samadhi' by Paramahansa Yogananda:

    'Vanished are the veils of light and shade,
    Lifted the vapors of sorrow,
    Sailed away the dawn of fleeting joy,
    Gone the mirage of the senses.
    Love, hate, health, disease, life and death -
    Departed, these false shadows on the screen
    of duality.
    Waves of laughter, scyllas of sarcasm, whirlpools
    of melancholy,
    Melting in the vast sea of bliss.
    Bestilled is the storm of maya
    By the magic wand of intuition deep.
    The universe, a forgotten dream, lurks
    subconsciously,
    Ready to invade my newly wakened memory divine.
    I exist without the cosmic shadow,
    But it could not live bereft of me;
    As the sea exists without the waves,
    But they breathe not without the sea.
    Dreams, wakings, states of deep turiya sleep,
    Present, past, future, no more for me,
    But the ever-present, all-flowing, I, I everywhere.
    Consciously enjoyable,
    Beyond the imagination of all expectancy,
    Is this, my samadhi state.
    Planets, stars, stardust, earth,
    Volcanic bursts of doomsday cataclysms,
    Creation’s moulding furnace,
    Glaciers of silent X-rays,
    Burning floods of electrons,
    Thoughts of all men, past, present, future,
    Every blade of grass, myself and all,
    Each particle of creation’s dust,
    Anger, greed, good, bad, salvation, lust,
    I swallowed up – transmuted them
    Into one vast ocean of blood of my own one Being!
    Smoldering joy, oft-puffed by unceasing meditation,
    Which blinded my tearful eyes,
    Burst into eternal flames of bliss,
    And consumed my tears, my peace, my frame,
    my all.
    Thou art I, I am Thou,
    Knowing, Knower, Known, as One!
    One tranquilled, unbroken thrill of eternal, living, ever-new peace!
    Not an unconscious state
    Or mental chloroform without wilful return,
    Samadhi but extends my realm of consciousness
    Beyond the limits of my mortal frame
    To the boundaries of eternity,
    Where I, the Cosmic Sea,
    Watch the little ego floating in Me.
    Not a sparrow, nor a grain of sand, falls
    without my sight
    All space floats like an iceberg in my mental sea.
    I am the Colossal Container of all things made!
    By deeper, longer, continuous, thirsty,
    guru – given meditation,
    This celestial samadhi is attained.
    All the mobile murmurs of atoms are heard;
    The dark earth, mountains, seas are molten liquid!
    This flowing sea changes into vapors of nebulae!
    Aum blows o’er the vapors; they open their veils,
    Revealing a sea of shining electrons,
    Till, at the last sound of the cosmic drum,
    Grosser light vanishes into eternal rays
    Of all-pervading Cosmic Joy.
    From Joy we come,
    For Joy we live,
    In the sacred Joy we melt.
    I, the ocean of mind, drink all creation’s waves.
    The four veils of solid, liquid, vapor, light,
    Lift aright.
    Myself, in everything,
    Enters the Great Myself.
    Gone forever,
    The fitful, flickering shadows of a mortal memory.
    Spotless is my mental sky,
    Below, ahead, and high above.
    Eternity and I, one united ray.
    I, a tiny bubble of laughter,
    Have become the Sea of Mirth Itself.'

    Wonderful 😊
    “So I say to you –
    This is how to contemplate our conditioned existence in this fleeting world:”

    “Like a tiny drop of dew, or a bubble floating in a stream;
    Like a flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
    Or a flickering lamp, an illusion, a phantom, or a dream.”

    “So is all conditioned existence to be seen.”

    Thus spoke Buddha.

    Comment


    • #17
      Emiko Sije,

      Again, we see poems turning the world upside down and showing it a different way.

      And of course, there is the poetry of spiritual masters expressing cosmic realizations.

      Thank you Veenie for sharing that wonderful poem.



      Yours,


      Charles
      Last edited by Charles David; 27 June 2015, 02:24 AM.
      Charles David Chalmers
      Brunei Darussalam

      Comment


      • #18
        I am not usually one to write poems but I was inspired to write a few words:

        She whispers softly in my heart,
        the gentle breeze,
        the passing clouds,
        the singing birds, the swaying trees.

        Alone?
        Alone you can never be my child, for within lay a million galaxies.

        She shows me faces likened to mine, the stone, the rock the leaf that has fallen,
        the sun the rain, the mud the flower...do you remember?

        All are you.

        Shattered the pieces all over the floor!
        Cutting deeply,
        forever wounding.

        Why do you grasp the mirror?!

        (Womb of darkness)..........Sigh.

        Come lay in my arms,
        she whispers again.
        Her warm embrace, I
        Surrenders.

        Mother's nature is so sweet.


        Thank you for this creative opportunity Charles Siheng and your poem is great.

        I didn't realise words could be so much fun, it's usually painting and drawing that I play with hehee😄. I must add the fun comes from not over intellectualising and worrying about the critique which is often the case in schools.

        Regarding uncle Walt's photo; burnt toast!...is his soul withered in decay (please don't ask why it just popped into my head haha)

        Emiko Sije, Iv heard of the limerick but never studied it. I studied Seamus Heaney at school...Santi like your choice of poem made me tickle 😄

        Look forward to reading more poems, and there is one person in particular who writes poems all the time that I'm really looking forward to seeing posted on this thread...ahem J 😉

        Love & blessings
        Parveen
        “So I say to you –
        This is how to contemplate our conditioned existence in this fleeting world:”

        “Like a tiny drop of dew, or a bubble floating in a stream;
        Like a flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
        Or a flickering lamp, an illusion, a phantom, or a dream.”

        “So is all conditioned existence to be seen.”

        Thus spoke Buddha.

        Comment


        • #19
          The Shaolin Way of Writing Poems

          Ah, Veenie.

          I'm so happy to read your poem.

          I'm also happy to hear that you 1)Enjoyed and 2) Didn't Intellectualize

          If you add 3) don't worry

          you have some great Shaolin instructions for composing poetry.

          I too am looking forward to more poems. In fact, I'm going to compose a few lines myself.


          Yours,

          Charles
          Charles David Chalmers
          Brunei Darussalam

          Comment


          • #20
            Dear Shaolin Wahnam Family,

            Thank your for the wonderful poems. :-)

            Dear Fabienne, I wrote some poems in the Forum in the past. I found some of them. I hope you enjoy them. :-) Hopefully my inspiration can bring many more!

            This one was written to Sifu for his birthday:

            I wish you a wonderful day
            Happy Birthday I may say.

            Thank you from the heart
            I know this is only a start.

            With your love and dedication
            I learn and deepen my meditation.

            To let go is your greatest gift
            On me you have caused a big shift.

            Many blessings from your student
            keep me humble and confident.

            Thank you for these wonderful years
            From joy I have dropped many tears.

            There is no beginning, there is no end
            Those words give me great strength.

            Smile always from the heart
            My blockages then fall apart.

            See how wonderful is to be alive
            To happiness makes me arrive.

            Wisdom in the three golden rules
            we are luckier than other schools.

            Thanks for teaching the chi flow
            because of that I easily let go.

            To end, I show you my gratitude
            with a respectful Shaolin Salute.
            This one is called "The Light House". It reflects what I see in Sifu and how he inspires and guides my life:

            The storm is coming I'm not scared
            I love my life and things I’ve shared.

            The sun is hidden and clouds are dark
            They come with anger to hurt my heart.

            I’m not afraid, I see its light
            I’ll win the battle, it'll be tight.

            I’ll bravely stand
            Until I can understand.

            It is its mission
            to guide sailor's vision.

            It is the Light house
            and lives for that cause.
            With Love, Care and Shaolin Salute,

            Santiago

            Comment


            • #21
              I haven't read or written any poetry for years.... There are a few I still remember.
              For example those written written by a German writer Christian Morgenstern.

              Here a nice translation of a famous one (German bellow)
              Source:http://www.alb-neckar-schwarzwald.de...ern_poems.html
              The Picket Fence

              One time there was a picket fence
              with space to gaze from hence to thence.

              An architect who saw this sight
              approached it suddenly one night,

              removed the spaces from the fence,
              and built of them a residence.

              The picket fence stood there dumbfounded
              with pickets wholly unsurrounded,

              a view so loathsome and obscene,
              the Senate had to intervene.

              The architect, however, flew
              to Afri- or Americoo.



              German:

              Der Lattenzaun


              Es war einmal ein Lattenzaun,
              mit Zwischenraum, hindurchzuschaun.

              Ein Architekt, der dieses sah,
              stand eines Abends plötzlich da -

              und nahm den Zwischenraum heraus
              und baute draus ein großes Haus.

              Der Zaun indessen stand ganz dumm,
              mit Latten ohne was herum.

              Ein Anblick gräßlich und gemein.
              Drum zog ihn der Senat auch ein.

              Der Architekt jedoch entfloh
              nach Afri- od- Ameriko.


              Enjoy some Wahnam Tai Chi Chuan & Qi Gong!

              Evening Classes in Zürich
              Weekend Classes in other Swiss locations


              Website: www.taichichuan-wahnam.ch
              Facebook: www.facebook.com/Taichichuan.Wahnam.ch

              Comment


              • #22
                Emptiness Translated; Windows to Other Worlds

                Hi Andrea,

                Very nice poem you have shared. It actually illustrates what I was saying about wisdom and nonsense. The poem seems nonsensical, or illogical, but there is something (not) there.

                It reminds me of Chapter 11 of the Tao De Ching

                Tao Te Ching: Chapter 11
                translated by Stephen Mitchell (1988)
                We join spokes together in a wheel,
                but it is the center hole
                that makes the wagon move.

                We shape clay into a pot,
                but it is the emptiness inside
                that holds whatever we want.

                We hammer wood for a house,
                but it is the inner space
                that makes it livable.

                We work with being
                but non-being is what we use.

                ---

                Another interesting point to consider is that the English version of the poem is in translation, and is only one of many possible versions of the original German.

                Here is another version of Chapter 11

                Tao Te Ching: Chapter 11
                translated by Ursula K. Le Guin (1998)
                Thirty spokes
                meet in the hub.
                Where the wheel isn't
                is where it's useful.

                Hollowed out,
                clay makes a pot.
                Where the pot's not
                is where it's useful.

                Cut doors and windows
                to make a room.
                Where the room isn't,
                there's room for you.

                So the profit in what is
                is in the use of what isn't.


                Personally, I love poems in translation, as I feel they give me a window to a different world. Of course something is always lost in translation, but I have access to something (even in altered form) that I otherwise wouldn't have. Could you imagine a world where we didn't have access to, for example, the Tao De Ching, or the Buddha's teachings. So many great masters whose words we have access to because their words were translated.



                Still,


                Charles
                Charles David Chalmers
                Brunei Darussalam

                Comment


                • #23
                  Some Great News Coming Up!

                  Dear Family and Friends,

                  I will also take this opportunity to tell you that we have a very exciting development forthcoming in relation to this poetry thread. As I said at the start there are some great benefits to be had from reading and writing poetry.

                  There are still a few details to work out before I can share the exciting news with you, but in the meantime, keep those poems coming, especially those of you who are bold enough to share your own work with us.

                  Your,



                  Student, Brother, Uncle, Papa Cha
                  Charles David Chalmers
                  Brunei Darussalam

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Lovely poem Santi.

                    Thank you Charles Siheng.

                    (It is amazing how the three Golden rules can be applied to every situation, so simple yet so profound! I'm going to do more of it especially when being creative-thank you! &#128522

                    I agree with your comment, it definitely is a blessing to have access to many teachings of past masters. I was reflecting on how we live in such fortunate times and that by a touch of a button we can access the universe! How amazing! so much to discover, learn and unlearn hehee.😄


                    On the subject of Tao Te Ching, here's a poem that spoke to me today:

                    ' The spirit of emptiness is immortal.
                    It is called the Great Mother
                    because it gives birth to Heaven and Earth.

                    It is like a vapour,
                    barely seen but always present.
                    Use it effortlessly'

                    Look forward to the exciting news Charles Siheng.

                    Love & Blessings,
                    Parveen
                    “So I say to you –
                    This is how to contemplate our conditioned existence in this fleeting world:”

                    “Like a tiny drop of dew, or a bubble floating in a stream;
                    Like a flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
                    Or a flickering lamp, an illusion, a phantom, or a dream.”

                    “So is all conditioned existence to be seen.”

                    Thus spoke Buddha.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Since I can't post on the actual poetry contest thread for some reason, I will post here.

                      Maaan, barely into poetry and now there's a CONTEST? Thank goodness we have some time until the due date... The prize is waaaaay to good, goodness. Talk about motivation !!

                      I most probably won't win, because there are some truly gifted people around here, but it will still be fun to enter !

                      Looking forward to all the poems,
                      Fabienne


                      Comment


                      • #26
                        First Shaolin Wahnam Poetry Competition

                        Danateske,

                        You win the prize for fastest respondent! Try the submission page now, it should be good. I was still working on it when you tried to post.

                        I told you that it would be beneficial to read and write poetry.

                        Please see this page,"Poetry Contest Announcements for the details of the very exciting poetry contest and the fabulous prizes so generously offered by Grandmaster Wong.

                        For your convenience, here is the info:

                        All Shaolin Wahnam Members and Friends are invited to submit their poems on the theme of “Changes” to the thread Entitled “First Poetry Contest Submissions”(link) on our Virtual Kwoon, starting now until September 28th.

                        To be considered for prizes, non-English-language poems should be translated into English. The panel of judges will be composed of Sifus Joan Browne, Mark Blohm, Adam Kryder, and myself.

                        Most excitingly, to encourage many people to have fun and participate, Sifu has offered two wonderful prizes, as follows.

                        Grand Prize: A Complimentary Intensive Course, or a full series of Regional Courses with Grandmaster Wong.

                        Translation Prize: A complimentary regional course with Grandmaster Wong, for the best non-English poem in translation.

                        Enjoy!


                        As Ever,
                        Charles David Chalmers
                        Brunei Darussalam

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Yaaaay, I win !

                          Originally posted by Charles David View Post
                          Danateske,

                          You win the prize for fastest respondent! Try the submission page now, it should be good. I was still working on it when you tried to post.

                          I told you that it would be beneficial to read and write poetry.

                          Please see this page,"Poetry Contest Announcements for the details of the very exciting poetry contest and the fabulous prizes so generously offered by Grandmaster Wong.

                          For your convenience, here is the info:




                          Enjoy!


                          As Ever,


                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Thanks Charles

                            Charles,

                            Thank you for the poem. It is beautiful and I will use it as an anchor in the coming days, years, etc...

                            "I sing the body electric"

                            Adam

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Body Electric, Mind Electric

                              Ah, bro!

                              I am lucky enough to have the hip pocket edition of this poem, "I Sing the Body Electric," on my shelf, and now on the desk in front of me. What a glorious song it is, a wonderful celebration of the human body!

                              "I have perceiv'd that to be with those I like is enough"

                              I sing the mind electric! with you in spirit!

                              Yours,

                              Charles
                              Last edited by Charles David; 3 July 2015, 02:46 AM. Reason: comma
                              Charles David Chalmers
                              Brunei Darussalam

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Originally posted by Danateske View Post
                                Yaaaay, I win !
                                Now parlay that win into a bid for the Grand Prize!

                                Yrs.

                                Chas.
                                Charles David Chalmers
                                Brunei Darussalam

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X