Poetic Fragments

*******

Every small nail
Driven in for the sake of Love
Is the service of the
One.
There is no such thing
As an "insignificant" act of Love.
Every
act of Love-- mowing lawns, digging holes, listening to a friend--
Is an act of true "worship."
Every thought of Love
Is a prayer,
Worth a thousand Lents.

True faith is
Allowing our lives to unfold naturally,
Without concern
Or manipulation.

The voice of God is heard,
Not in the thunder, or in the ocean's mighty roar,
But in the squeal of puppies,
And the silence of desert canyons.
Every touch of every friend
Is God reaching out to you.
Every aid, every help, every assistance,
Of any person who reaches out a helping hand,
Is also God.

Serving God is the quiet mind.
God's glory is not found in selftrumpeting,
The blast of the tuba,
Never in selfdisplay.
Instead, the greatest is the least:
Infinite power and talent
Manifest in the quiet,
Self-abnegating, self-effacing person.
Glory and splendor cry out
In her silence;
The most beautiful diamonds shine
Also in silence.

The good man
Is self-erasing,
The ignorant self-spotlighting.
God's real beauty
Shines in the silent emerald.

There is no glory
Like the silent and tender,
Quiet splendors of the night-sky.
Stars the size of a million earths
Speak most loudly and clearly
The language of sweet silence.
When all are shouting,
Only the most quiet whisper gets attention.

God moves into thee
When there is deep silence.
Otherwise, She is pushed out
By all the self-talk,
All the thoughts and busy-ness.
Holy Spirit settles
Like sun-kissed morning dew
On the silent rose,
And on the silent person.
In deepest equanimity,
Most profound tranquility,
God as Love
Permeates the unspeaking
And untroubled heart.

Relax into God,
And God will relax into you.
Let the Captain
Guide his ship
Of your life.
Do not try
To take over
And drive it yourself.
It will find its home-port,
But only if you let the Captain drive it.
For the heart knows well
Where is its home.

*******

Zen Judaism

******
Zen Judaism:

If there is no self,
whose arthritis is this?
Be here now.
Be someplace else later.
Is that so complicated?

Drink tea and nourish life.
With the first sip, joy.
With the second, satisfaction.
With the third, peace.
With the fourth, a Danish.

Wherever you go, there you are.
Your luggage is another story.
Accept misfortune as a blessing.
Do not wish for perfect health
What would you talk about?

The journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single "oy."

There is no escaping karma.
In a previous life, you never called,
you never wrote, you never visited.
And whose fault was that?

Zen is not easy.
It takes effort to attain nothingness.
And then what do you have?
Bupkes.

The Tao does not speak.
The Tao does not blame.
The Tao does not take sides.
The Tao has no expectations.
The Tao demands nothing of others.
The Tao is not Jewish.

Breathe in. Breathe out.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Forget this, and attaining Enlightenment
will be the least of your problems.

Let your mind be as a floating cloud.
Let your stillness be as the wooded glen.
And sit up straight. You'll never meet the
Buddha with such rounded shoulders.

Be patient to achieve all things.
Be impatient and achieve all things faster.

To find the Buddha, look within.
Deep inside you are ten thousand flowers.
Each flower blossoms ten thousand times.
Each blossom has ten thousand petals.
You might want to see a specialist.

To practice Zen and the art of Jewish
motorcycle maintenance, do the following:
GET RID OF THE MOTORCYCLE.
What were you thinking?

Be aware of your body.
Be aware of your perceptions.
Keep in mind that not every physical
sensation is a symptom of a terminal illness.

The Buddha taught that one should practice loving
kindness to all sentient beings.
Still, would it kill you to find a nice sentient being
who happens to be Jewish?

Though only your skin, sinews, and bones remain,
though your blood and flesh dry up and wither away,
yet shall you meditate and not stir
until you have attained full Enlightenment.
But, first, a little nosh.

by David Bader

(Thanks to Mick Gallagher)
*******