The Buddhist Poem by Paul Hartal

Suspended between transitory events and eternity,
She meditates under the Bo tree
Where abundant revelations burgeon and sprout.

She is aware that life is filled with heartache and suffering
But she also knows that hope can always rise on the horizon
And salvation may arrive on golden wings
Of kindness and compassion.

She follows in the footsteps of the Siddhartha Gautama,
Who is called the Buddha, the Enlightened One.
So, she avoids sinful karma of evil deeds.

She is basking in the light of universal love
And seeksprofound wisdom in this life
For the sake of others.

She searches for truth and
She travels the middle way of balanced desires
In order to find the trail to celestial happiness.

She respects life and moral conduct and resists evil
And directs her steps on the trail of the Buddha
The Enlightened One, because his road leads
To the destination of eternalbliss, to Nirvana.

And thusshe follows the Noble Eightfold Path
In caring about right views and intentions
Speaking and acting the right way
And living so as well through proper concentration,
Mindfulness and effort.

Indeed facing the threats of a lowly vile world
one's highest priorities should be anchored
In the purity of body, speech and mind
A task so aptly symbolized by the lovely lotus flower
Because (as Zhou Dunyi observed centuries ago) ,
It grows from the mud but remains unstained.