Elephants, cattle, horses, and mares
gold and silver, women and men
no assembly all empty and void
except the community of heart
no village, no people to be seen
but forest in resolute confidence
hardly stress disturbing perception
void and empty of what is not there
in the singleness presence of forest
that becomes a perception of earth
no ridges, rivers, mountains, ravines
just this even and smooth sphere
genuinely undisturbed and pure
proceeding in boundless space
one perception field to another
previous ones empty and void
in singleness of the present
boundless consciousness
recognizing base spheres
nothingness that’s empty
neither nor non-perception
finally signless concentration
what it could at all be, or not
empty, void, and full at once
confident, steady, and resolute
in this body conditioned by life
as an individual consciousness
to recognize boundless at last
understanding what is present
and empty or void what is not
conditioned as well as volitional
impermanent and prone to cease
let go all taints of ignorant desire
always liberated free in holy life
what had to be has been done
no more coming nor going
to whatever state of being
sensing what is present
in this body and mind
boundless conscious
sound and space
empty and void
it’s all the same
unsurpassed pure
we train to enter and abide
in this supreme emptiness to be.
(Inspired by and based on the Cūḷasuññata Sutta,
#121 in the Majjhima Nikāya, the middle length discourses of the Buddha)
“Swami Uodalric puja” — spontaneous celebration
No elephants, cattle, or horses — but forest here
