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| Poetry |
| New Poems 2008 |
| Old Poems 2006-2007 |
Love and Greatness Sutra Illusions don’t sustain themselves. Only ultimate reality lasts. Suffering comes from these illusions. We project our desires onto reality And we suffer because we are living In a dream world that does not coincide With the way things are. The discord Between our desires and reality Causes suffering. As we realize our illusions, And stop projecting them onto others, We get in touch with the way things are. I know a woman who desires Love above all things, But she doesn’t realize love within; She attaches to the illusion of love And projects her desires onto men. She suffers when she realizes that her love is not real. She is left with the same aching desire For what she doesn’t have and She craves it even more. By dwelling in our illusions We see only that—our desires— And we mistake them for reality. When reality surfaces, we suffer. The real thing is so much greater. Why do we traffic in counterfeit? Clouded by illusions, We do not recognize the real thing. The only way to know the supreme source is to live in it. A man I know desires Greatness above all things, But how can he ever become great Until he dispels his illusions about himself. This man I know projects his greatness everywhere But that does not make him great. He is still clinging to the illusion of greatness. Law, religion, education, art, A masquerade like love, Not the real thing! Men I know project Freedom, Democracy, and Justice Onto battlefields abroad; But their ideals only create The shadow of what they want, False freedom, false democracy, false justice, False education and false art. Just as for some women Love cannot be attained By simply desiring it, So for these men Greatness cannot be attained By simply desiring it. Awash in the dreamy world of illusions and ideals, Men and women alike will not know true greatness, Men and women alike will not know true love. Greatness must desire you, Love must seek you out! This can only happen when You become a vessel for The grandeur of the universe And your work, a sacrifice. CRA 1/24/2008 Please send you comments to: creator@escapeintolife.com |
| Artwork on this page by Achilles Rizzoli notable outsider artist |