The Name

[Dharmavidya]

Following the Name

Into the midst of a silence unbroken
I hear a sweet name in my ear quietly spoken
a call of salvation for all humankind
touching me lightly, transforming the mind.
It comes to me over the sea of my karma.
It flies on the wings of the king of the Dharma.
Though not a secret it is an entrustment;
it is my enlistment in Buddha's recruitment,
so I shall go willingly over the mountain
to sing of the Name at eternity's fountain.

[Jason Ranek]

Spark


The night was of a whole,
But seconds shattered;
No prayers before those prayers
Had ever mattered.

Buddha beneath his tree,
Christ draped on his,
Could not take back the cup,
Remove the cause

Of suffering that stoked
A mangled flame.
The shadows danced in garish
Light, but the Name

Itself became the night
As, throughout the dark,
Auroras played
From Amitabha’s spark.

[Jiko]

Looking into the midnight sky,beautiful stars twinkle in my eyes,a wonderful gift from Amida Buddha,Infinite Light shining,NAMU AMIDA BU.

[Emma]

Gazing across the empty dawn,
sunlight ripend corn,
green and colourful fields,
singing, fading into the distance.

Trickling streams and merry waters,
giving life to all around,
All the birds sing the chorus
Namo Amida Bu!

Many waters meet the seas,
Oceans thrash and dolphins swim
Hear the Buddahs chanting
with every crash of wave on the shore.

Night- time draws accross the sky,
Sleeping thrushes, creeping willows
all hear the lullaby
from Amitabha with love.

Dreams echo across the eons,
mindful of its purpose in our life,
All our prayers join the stream
And happy we sing Namu Amida Bu!

[richard meyers]

'to sing of the name...'

From here to there
fraction of a breath
hint of a syllable
quick moment of a thought.
gold fragments of pollen
anointing inner silk
of a lotus flower
Buddha fields
being born
infinite light touching
each heart at its centre &
opening our hands.

[richard meyers]

Who or what is Amida?

1.

Somehow all the Buddha's
Lit up in one radiance
Not He Not She utterly
Encompassing both

A route through to
our hearts longing
Speaking to our fear
Offering a hand & tending
to our understanding

Six syllables that begin
to sing themselves
Na Mu A mi Da Bu
Na Mu A mi Da Bu

What began as dry utterance
A dusty dry river bed has grown
moist and the living water
that Jesus speaks of
begins to flow

Amida's standing under
Beauty of intent
A proffering of multi-hued thread
for each of us to hold as we
wobble & quake
tremble & shake

What need I do to be saved?
Not a thing
Nothing at all
So I say the words &
just listen for the echo..

2.

In the light of Nyorai -
My history is of no regard

This Love is not earned
Yet somehow
as sentient
being 'deserved'
(I say this
in a whisper
knowing the
culpable extent
of my foolish &
impetuous nature!)

I begin to feel grateful
My grate is full of grace
Dull embers begin to glow
Heart warming sparks
with a sound like rainfall

And the soil in my garden
begins to say thank you
Tiny gassho's of green
The buzz and hum of bees
Brimstone butterflies &
Blackcaps singing in
the park beyond.

[Ben Ross]

amida comes in many
forms, sometimes i break
open from a friend's weird joke

one nembutsu to
another - how many calls
before i get through?

worried for no reason, when
all there is flowers
without a thought, just open

i really should take a show-
er now, it might help
the broken waters go home

[richard meyers]

On Dharmavidya's poem:

One line in particular speaks to me
'I hear a sweet name in my ear quietly spoken'

Whose is that sweet name?

A bell is being struck again and again
and sounding clean and clear as today

Again and again the same name true as a lupin
in a potlatch exchange with a white-tailed
bumble-bee

The song-thrush too calls out its name
and repeatedly inside its loud song
always once and only quietly
Listen.

Even the snail calls
Sonorously moving across lawns.

[Pundarika (orna)]

Eye to eye
hand to hand
going forward
to the end
of all delusions.

Being touched
by the Eternal Light
ready to go
willing to grow
everything becomes so right .

Hearing the Name
a tender touch
during the night
feeling the sparks
in my dream.

[Kenny Lewis]

Our Mind.

One Day when I was young,
there was no need to BECOME.
I spoke and all things replied.

No question of 'Is this just in MY MIND?'

Now that I have grown,
somehow, I long for that home.
Where there is only one thing,
where WE are the song the earth Sings.

No question of 'Is this just in MY MIND?'

While gazing at stars, While opening my heart.
I spoke and the twinkles replied.
"Of course what you see is OUR MIND"

[Jiko]

Today,walking in the forest,amongst tall trees,leaves rustling in the breeze,feeling so free,just namu and Amida bu,walking in harmony.

[Dharmavidya]

Rejoice

I heard a name
more than a sigh
that came as a flame to tame
my frame and cry

I heard that it came
again
with glorious fame
yet eyes moist
occluding my game
with it's message yet unvoiced

with perfect aim
victorious
not lame
it came speeding fine

Until I heard the same
choice voice say
by and by
without blame
"Rejoice"