Thursday, July 17, 2008

• BUDDHIST  SOLDIER

   

  Me lie,

  under-

              stand

  the redyelloworange

  Saigon sky

  trying to the Id(

  ea) of war

              why God

              bomb the Buddha

  ;

   

  Dukkha[1]:

   soul ache

    dwell within-

              side the Việt Cộng

  progeny in-

              side the capital

  factory in-

              side the two meal

  rice,  in-

              side the raining petrol

  jelly, in-

              side malnourished

  puberty in-

              side massacre

   

   

                          extinction

  ,

   

  Samudaya[2]:

   being hurt

              that we are clingful to

  is physical

              pleasure &

              despite the family

              dead in Mỹ Lai, there is

  desire

              despite the corpses,

  life     slavery

  ,

   

  Nirodha[3]:

   life grief

              equal chains—

  lust and execution

  weigh down the same—

              reliance on the senses.

   

              To stop

                          the life

   

   

              hurt,

              give up the crave-

  be

  -ing

  ,

   

   

  Marga[4]:

   soul peace

              attained

  (not by

  acceptance of

              scripture death, nor

  human ache of

              tradition hurt, nor

  life grief of

              pre-conceived

              person just)

   

  but accept self know-

              ledge, where there is

  right

              view,    action,    effort,    intention,    speech,

              livelihood,      mindfulness,    concentration

   

   

   

  being, whose

              attainment

  conduce well-

              ness and hap-pi-ness

   

  then one

              life acting

              accordingly

  …

   

   

  
  

              And yet there is no entering

  Nirvana

              for Buddhist soldiers—

   

                                      the bodhisattva,

                          pouring gasoline

                          on their bodies, and lighting up

              aflame

                         

  under the Saigon

                          sun,

   

              I’m trying to under-

                                                              stand

  
  

  ---

  [1] The Nature of Suffering

  [2] Suffering’s Origin

  [3] Suffering’s Cessation

  [4] The Way (Leading to the Cessation of Suffering)

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