A Yemanja comes to the dojo
and asks a zen-monk : “Are you sleeping ?”
The meditating monk makes gassho :
“No, fruit of karma I am reaping.”
Our goddess of the sea, delighted,
feels playful, joyful thought-waves leaping
and asks the zen-monk, all excited :
“Say, can’t you dance, while you are reaping ?”
Our teishi, steadfast in his posture,
looks with disdain on ocean’s goddess;
and, with humiliating gesture,
replies : “Just clear the gate, seductress !”
Beware of Buddhas who don’t dance, yes !
But more of mind’s illusive goddess !!!
Author notes
watch the video : http://s247.photobucket.com/albums/gg123/poetmaa/?action=view¤t=32dancebuddhadance.flv
my constantly updated video-poetry :
http://allpoetry.com/poem/show/3791503
***
dedicated to jean-marc http://allpoetry.com/jean-marc
my hubby and muse for this sonnet, the scenario was his splendid idea !
jm, who meditates for several hours every day, often nicknames me yemanja, probably we have the whimsical nature in common - and I tend to tease him back in a similar manner as our poetic heroïne, like : "say, can't you meditate while mowing the lawn ?"
***
with a special thank you to mairi bheag http://allpoetry.com/Mairi%20bheag
who has taught me this amazing form http://allpoetry.com/column/2265620
we even collaborated on a marshalline-tryad about the practice of zazen called "beyond perseverence" :
http://allpoetry.com/poem/4176151
***
and for mari goes http://allpoetry.com/MariGoes
my brazilian yemanja
***
Buddha … historically Siddharta Gautama; a general term for an enlightened being
dojo … (zen)-meditation-hall
gassho … ritual hand-gesture of joined palms facing upwards
karma … law of cause and effect, cycle of rebirth
teishi … disciple
Yemanja … goddess of the sea (in the afro-brazilian spiritual tradition of Umbanda)
In a list
A contest entry
- ~* Meditation and Momentum *~ by Desire.
700 points, ended May 1, 7 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - - Silver...Go For the Gold - by Desire.
400 points, ended May 17, 3 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 22 of 22
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Congratulations on another well-deserved trophy.
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YAY ! we did it again ...
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Welcome Back!!
Beautiful
Your piece qualifies and elated to see You back
Best wishes in my contest Sweet Soul!!
and much love~ Desire~*~
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yay !
thank you so much for the golden cup which I dedicate to jean-marc, and the generous gift of pointies which I wish to offer to mairi bheag for her precious poetic guidance ...
to you, I offer a mega-huge hug and lots and lots of kisses,
marion
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Thank You!!
Thank You for Your entry: Dance, Buddha, Dance! (Marshalline Sonnet)
This piece tugged at Spirit and when I was reading...
which I did several times...I felt bitten but in a positive way and even though venom...it was of Life...to flow through the veins
Beautiful dedication for I am being shown a Gift...
a seed in palm passed to another...
and placed in a copper pot~~ hearing word: copper...
getting temporary home...until garden complete
Hearing reference to rains will come from tears shed...
Pain...but the healing will begin...
toxins will release...be nurtured by the hallowed soil in pot found from Machu Picchu...Nowwwwwwwwww
I am being shown while meditating...this vision of soil in palms and taking this soil to Machu Picchu to be blessed...Reason..help another...Seven Wonders of the World
I'm hearing reference to: unfinished business...
getting word connected: mecca
Wonderful form and images I must say
These lines grabbed and pulled~
Our goddess of the sea, delighted,
feels playful, joyful thought-waves leaping
Excellent take on the prompt~
Thank You for sharing Your Heart also Spirit!
Best wishes to You in the contest Sweet Soul
**Judging will be done shortly...
Many blessings too
and much love~ Desire~*~
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thank you so much for the gift of a silver-trophy - although a copper-trophy would have done it, too
I feel motivated to participate in your contests, since it is rare to receive a clairvoyant visionary present for a verse written ...
I thank you for the message, it means more than you can imagine to me - and brings back another prophetic/shamanic vision I had 15 years ago, when I had a lucid dream where I received a letter with the following message :
"the answers to all of your questions will be found there ..."
when I looked at the envelope to see where "there" was, the postal seal said "macchu picchu" ...
I asked my mother upon awaking if that was a place that existed, and she responded that it was a sacred site in peru ...
a few years back, I met a shaman from cuzco, peru, and asked him about this mysterious dream ... he told me to choose a post-card with artwork from peru ... I chose one, and he told me that he was happy that I had chosen the "right one", and in this way retrieved my memory about my task ... it was an image of a sacred warrior ...
unfinished business there is ...
thank you for reminding me about it in this unexpected manner ...
heartfelt blessings, my dear one ...
marion
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I enjoyed this. It was a nice reprieve from others that I have read. Hey and I learned something too.
Best Of luck.
Sarah -
Beautiful with rhythem and flow. The word Naga comes from the Sanskrit, and nag is still the word for snake, especially the cobra, in most of the languages of India. When we come upon the word in Buddhist writings, it is not always clear whether the term refers to a cobra, an elephant (perhaps this usage relates to its snake-like trunk, or the pachyderm's association with forest-dwelling peoples of north-eastern India called Nagas,) or even a mysterious person of nobility. It is a term used for unseen beings associated with water and fluid energy, and also with persons having powerful animal-like qualities or conversely, an impressive animal with human qualities.
Love,
Amera
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thank you so much for the additional info, amera ... I love it when my poem-pages become a source of knowledge shared by and with all ... I seem to have a thing with snakes going ... maybe because it's my chinese/tibetan zodiac sign ? jean-marc has the cobra as his main animal-totem, at least this is what I "saw" in a vision ...
marion
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Dismissed with disdainful gesture,
the seductress appears to lie in wait
proving her worth by her ever-presence,
if not dancing, haunting the mind...
Daring scenario, daring seduction of the mind.
Bravo!
Aesthete
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This is a good reminder for me!
Wonderful work, best of luck!
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Your lighthearted and enticing rhythm mirrors the rhythm of the stars and the heart!
You have woven a poetic vision into this one, with strands of a deeper devotion threaded throughout!
Wonderfully done!
Ovations!
Marianne
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Thanks for the explanations because I'm ignorant of all religions equally and the language sort of just soars over my head.
Sounds like a Republican here, wanting us not only to work for nothing but to like it...same lack of humor too.
What's the snake mean in that religion?
I admit, I would give in to temptation, but no worry, my mind has no illusive goddesses, just plumbers in hip high boots.
Yem Yemanja
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the snake has a much more positive connotation in eastern traditions than it has in mono-theistic religions ... where it is considered equal to the devil (although devil comes from diavolos, which in greek just means "divided in two" ...)
images of the Buddha are often represented with a hooded cobra above him ... I don't know the myth about it though ...
also, in Hinduism, Lord Vishnu is shown with (I think a seven-headed) cobra above his head ...
in general, the snake represents energy ... shakti ... kundalini ... whatever name you give it - the manifested aspect of shiva (consciousness) ...
even if you watch the symbol of the medical doctors, there are two snakes entwined around a stick, who face each other on the top ... symbolizing harmony of yin/yang or ida/pingala, and (hopefully) awakening ...
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In legend, the King Cobra was said to have shaded the head of the meditating Gautama from the sun.
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Oh, this is playful and tantalizing in its rhythm!
I love the visions this conjured and the deeper
message of devoutness within. Blue
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Temptation dances before Buddha's trances...? The fattest lot of us would crumble... Love the tongue in cheek humor within...!!! AND this background is gorgeous too!!!
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Yemanja and Buddha, that is an interesting encounter, to say the least!
I really like this poem, it shows how the minds work, and how they can be strong or weak.
I wrote a poem about invitation to dance, and I the sea attracts me, not to mention you call me yemanja... does it mean I have seduction in my mind? Probably does
Loved your poem Smiling Marion, thanks
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Rhythmic, and rather cheeky.
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thank you, another trophy for a marshalline ... you bring me luck !
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Congratulations.
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merci ...
et aussi pour l'info sur le roi cobra ...
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