January 17, 2015

Suffering and Joy Sutra. {Poem}

0 Boost Score Laurence Musgrove (1,510,185)

436

For Joe.

When the Buddha had completed
His discourse before the crowd
Of more than 100 monks
On the contemplation of suffering
One of the monks seated near him
Said to the Buddha, “Why, Teacher,
is it that we must only contemplate
suffering and not contemplate joy?”
And in response the Buddha smiled
And then bowed his head in silence.
Other monks heard this question
And many nodded in agreement.
“That was a very good question!”
Whispering and quiet debates
Spread quickly through the crowd.
Finally, the Buddha raised his head
And spoke to the curious monk.
“Contemplation is the joy, my friend.
Suffering will diminish over time,
and after that, contemplation will
no longer be a necessary practice.
And all that will be left behind is joy.”