awake
for morning in the bowl of night
has loosed the arrow
that puts the stars to flight........
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
it neednt be complicated
WAKING FROM A DEEP SLEEP
If somebody is waking for the first time from a deep sleep, she might see the midnight stars. But if she waits long enough without going back to sleep, she will begin to see not only stars but the dawn, then the sunrise, and then the whole landscape being lit by a brilliant light coming from the sky. She will begin to see her hands, her palms, her toes, and she will also begin to see her tables, her chairs, and the world around her. And if she is clever enough to look at a mirror, she will also see herself. Similarly, the truth of the cessation of suffering is a personal discovery. It is not mystical and it does not have any connotations of religion or psychology. It is simply your experience.
From "Awakening and Blossoming," in THE TRUTH OF SUFFERING: and the Path of Liberation. Forthcoming from Shambhala Publications.
________________________
From the promise land in Lipscomb Alabama
Where golden eagle table syrup and buffalo rock
Flow freely
And the train whistle blows
