Canto Eight: Right Speech – Vacisucarita

It is so easy to hear the voice of others
and conceive motive, intent, judgment
And inevitably at times, to react like someone
put a pitchfork into the dung heap of our memories,
the noxious fumes come from this residue
more than from the content of what has been said.
But this too can change.
How difficult is it for some to speak kindly and softly
especially after the above, or just anytime?
Are we incapable or just unwilling to perceive our own speech
in the same terms as what we hear?
We proceed grumbling against the walls of our cages.
But this too can change.
This defect is not the essence of whom we are.
There is no evil soul lurking inside our bodies
creating negative speech patterns for us.
We can become the fount of joy for others and ourselves.
When our best intentions to speak correctly fail us,
is this when we have lost sight of compassion?
But this too can change.
So our deliberate and conscious practice might be --
beginning with someone with whom we are intimately involved--
Let every idle pause in the conversation
be a moment of meditation about this compassion.
Focus a few breaths on a “Nimitta” of discernment.
Repeat the secret word “vacisucarita”
which means good conduct in speech.
No false – harsh – malicious – nor idle speech.
Let us speak these words from our physical organs
so they resonate twice, from our heart to our ears.
We sense this entirely unlike touch
the sound travels with our breath as we exhale.
The breath of life uses the same pathway as speech
thus this chanting unites in a special meditation
the most sacred and active force of life.
If we contaminate our breath pathway with harsh,
libelous or indiscriminate speech
We violate one of the most basic Precepts.
But this too can change.
How long will it take that pathway to return to wholeness?
Instead – whenever kind words are spoken
according to the teachings of Dharma
we make merit and amplify the volume of our Hearts. ~

I.J. Hall; March 17, 2009; Lolo, MT

Energy of Life

As I wipe the sweat off my forehead
I feel in a different way the Energy of Life
In this case, from cutting wood
Not just any wood, Good-Luck-Beaver-Charm-Sticks
Left lying around Pond, by my friends.

This is a labor of love in a way:
Love of life, love of nature, self-love
And I can now assemble these charming sticks
Statuesquely to hold colorful flowers
Arranged in an elegant fashion inspired by
The Japanese form of flower art, Moribana.

This is a spiritual path in silence and grace:
Contacting the exotic beauty that otherwise
To the untrained eye, would go unseen
Or what is worse, missed and unappreciated.

This is a way of combining in peace:
Another element wholly of nature
Giving back the Energy of Life to each
And to all who see and feel this connection
From simple wood blessed to nourish beaver
Into an eloquent statement of life and love.
Amen.

I.J. Hall; October 5, 2003; Scio "Beaver Pond" OR