Links.net: Justin Hall's personal site growing & breaking down since 1994

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from a personal poetical exploration of
thich nhat hanh's 14 precepts

seventh precept: mindful & joyful living

Do not lose yourself in dispersion and in your surroundings. Practice mindful breathing to come back to what is happening in the present moment. Be in touch with what is wondrous, refreshing, and healing both inside and around you. Plant seeds of joy, peace, and understanding in yourself in order to facilitate the work of transformation in the depths of your consciousness.

in the midst of this change couraging exploration
the sixth precept reminds me to transform myself
the seventh to look for beauty
often muddled forgotten or shortchanged
like this assignment becomes drudgery
I shift windows to something mindless entertaining
as I cast disparaging thoughts on my 14 hours remaining
til compelled completion

and then I am struck
to recall
that I am writing a poem about my life
my friends
these buddhist boons have been buzzing my brain
for weeks now
I integrate them
here

what a joy!

so am I "in touch with what is wondrous, refreshing, and healing
both inside and around" me.
this assignment is meaning
that I am
"plant seeds of joy, peace, and understanding in myself in order to facilitate
the work of transformation in the depths of my consciousness."

this buddhism
these personal parables
this is only the synthesis
the loving reflection has been long
compassion, suffering
interdependent origination
other stuff on page 8 has been changed the way I lead my life (turning it all into a web page is icing on this consciousness cake - and so will I invite the web wide world to this prajña party!)

sixth | interbeing | eighth