The Buddhist

Suspended between transitory events and eternity, She meditates under the Bo tree Where abundant revelations burgeon and sprout. She is aware that life is filled with heartache and suffering But she also knows that hope can always rise on the horizon And salvation may arrive on golden wings Of kindness and compassion. She follows in the footsteps of the Siddhartha Gautama, Who is called the Buddha, the Enlightened One. So, she avoids sinful karma of evil deeds. She is basking in the light of universal love And seeksprofound wisdom in this life For the sake of others. She searches for truth and She travels the middle way of balanced desires In order to find the trail to celestial happiness. She respects life and moral conduct and resists evil And directs her steps on the trail of the Buddha The Enlightened One, because his road leads To the destination of eternalbliss, to Nirvana. And thusshe follows the Noble Eightfold Path In caring about right views and intentions Speaking and acting the right way And living so as well through proper concentration, Mindfulness and effort. Indeed facing the threats of a lowly vile world one's highest priorities should be anchored In the purity of body, speech and mind A task so aptly symbolized by the lovely lotus flower Because (as Zhou Dunyi observed centuries ago) , It grows from the mud but remains unstained.