The Lamp of Wisdom – A poem on the Buddha

 

Homage to you, the Awakened One,
The brilliant lamp of prajna,
The gentle breeze of compassion,
Peace that spread in every stride,
You showed the way of Bodhi!

 

Your speech, the drops of insight,
Settles the veils of confused minds,
Like alum cleansing a muddled lake,
To the pristine glow of clarity,
To the cool aroma of peace within!

 

Those lost in rituals and thought,
In the pursuit of unseen gods,
In the jargons of presumptions,
In the darkness of mental sinking,
You woke them to mindful presence!

 

Breaking free from traditions,
With caring words of reason,
You subdued the blindness of mind!
Setting ablaze the Way of Bodhi,
The spirit of seeing beyond dogmas!

 

You forewent the kingdom,
In search of a way
To wipe the pain of masses.
Rising beneath the Bodhi Tree
You became the king of kings!

 

The beautiful groves that kings offered,
In every kingdom that you walked,
You turned them into gardens of peace,
Free from the venom of caste and creed,
Cradles of human awakening!

 

You lit the lamp of wisdom
In a million hearts,
That blazed as the light of Asia,
The light that spreads today
Lighting hearts around the world!

 

Homage to you, the lamp of wisdom,
May we realize the Buddha within!
May we become the nectar of kindness,
That cures the hearts of countless beings!
May reason and kindness prevail in the world!

Yogi Prabodha Jnana penned these lines as a reflection on the Buddha on 21^st May 2016, on the auspicious day of the anniversary of the birth, enlightenment and final passing away of the Buddha. May there be peace in this world!