When I got home last night I read my home email and found out that Lou's (aka World Peace and a Speadboat) sweet old doggie Diosma had died in her sleep, at the ripe old age of 18. Doz was already an elderly matron by the time I made friends with her, already quite deaf and blind, and with breath that can best be described as 'challenging', but any social event at Speedy's house was always further brightened by some pats with Doz (not to mention trying not to let her other dog Hebe get her tongue in your mouth...). She was a sweet old doggie indeed.
Speedy has posted some lovely pics and drawings of Doz over at the group blog For Battle!, which capture her charm well. RIP Dozzie wog!
Prajna Paramita mantra for Dozzie wog:
ReplyDeleteGate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha.
Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha.
Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha.
[Thich Nhat Hanh: Gate means gone. Gone from suffering to the liberation of suffering. Gone from forgetfulness to mindfulness. Gone from duality into non-duality. Gate gate means gone, gone. Paragate means gone all the way to the other shore. So this mantra is said in a very strong way. Gone, gone, gone all the way over. Parasamgate everyone, the sangha, the entire community of beings. Everyone gone over to the other shore. Bodhi is the light inside, enlightenment, or awakening. You see it and the vision of reality liberates you. And svaha is a cry of joy or excitement, like "Welcome!" or "Hallelujah!" "Gone, gone, gone all the way over, everyone gone to the other shore, enlightenment, svaha !"]
This is part of the Heart Sutra, yes? When I was on my 8 day retreat we would recite the Heart Sutra each evening (the only words we spoke outside of question & answer time). I love the Heart Sutra.
ReplyDeleteYes, the Prajna Paramita is indeed part of the Heart Sutra, Andrew. We also recite the Heart Sutra, as part of our Puja, at the end of each day whilst on retreat. We also do a regular end of month Puja with the whole community at our Centre on the last Friday of each month.
ReplyDeleteHearting the Heart Sutra too :-)
Yo my dharma bro, if you you wanna mix up up a little at your next recitin', here be a rap version of the Heart Sutra that I think is slammin' man. Completely combusted. Word!
ReplyDeleteThe Great Heart Transcendent Wisdom Rap
Avora... master of compassion
His mind no longer thrashin'
Did some hard time lookin' deep inside
Wise old Avora
Saw with a clear eye
The five aspects
Of what we call personality
That what appears to be you
Appears to be me
In actuality
Is empty
Empty in time
Empty in space
Empty as the clear sky
No trace
He tuned in with such clarity
As few humans ever see
Went far beyond sufferin' an' misery
Clarified the mystery
Broke through the dream
Turned to his brother
To let him set his own self free
From the chains of "Me"
So he could simply be.
Said... Dig it my brother Satra
Search deep enough inside
No more can you hide
The Truth which rides
Around in your hide
Take a good look, Ace
Check out your own face
'Fore you was born
Then you understandin' that form
Is emptiness
Emptiness is form
When the clear sky of your vision
Rests as comfortable
As a wound incision
That personality pentagram
The mind's five-fingered hand
Is just an empty seat
On a beat up old tram
Form, feeling, thought...
Volition and consciousness
Collapse in a flash
Nothin's left amiss
Satra my brother, don' forget
Walkin' the path of awakenin'
There's nothin' to get
It's empty for the takin'
With awakened sight
Nothin's born, nothin' dies
Nothin' rots, nothin' shines
Nothin' grows, nothin' shrinks
There's no self to think
That somethin' exists outside
That it rocks or stinks
When the pentagram of personality
Bursts apart
It yields awakened seed
Ain't no eyes to see
No ears to hear
No nose to smell
No tongue to taste
Ain't no skin to touch
No thinkin' at all
No world of sight
Nor of consciousness
What could be other than right?
A state of mind
That can't be characterized
No ignorance
An' no end to it
No agin' and death
But ya still get old an' hit
The grave
Ain't nothin' to save ya'
No sufferin', cravin' or extinction
No path
To follow to completion
No wisdom
To be had by rumination
No attainment
So let go your fascination
Seen clearly
Nothin' to be attained
Seen clearly
The show's an empty shadow
Seen clearly
All isms bring on pain
So the person of wisdom
Relies on the map
Of the great heart transcendent wisdom rap
With no hindrance in the mind
Just a simple vow
Abiding in eternal now
No fear
No need for hope
Far beyond deluded views
At last aligned
With True Nature
Divine
In the past
The present and the future
All awakened ones
And those who dare to tread
On the path
Of the awakened state of mind
Root themselves
In this great heart transcendent wisdom rap
In so doing
They bootstrap
Supreme clarity...
Ain't no deathtrap
Of ego's grasp...
Instead they uncap
Life's potential...
The universe they unwrap
Know, then, this to be true
The great heart transcendent wisdom rap
Is the most potent spell
The highest formulation
The incomparable structure of mind
It destroys all suffering
Truth - no lie
So set it forth
Lay it down
Great heart transcendent wisdom rap
Dig it.
Gone, gone, gone beyond
Gone beyond the idea
Of goin' beyond
Completely combusted
[2003 Kobutsu Malone & Koun Michael Selden]
That's kind of so wrong it's right... if you know what I mean.
ReplyDelete"That's kind of so wrong it's right"
ReplyDeleteYeah, that about sums it/me up ;-)
When I went on my first going for refuge retreat (for all those who have asked for ordination) in January 2003, one of the three guys ordained at the end of that retreat was a lovely gay guy from NZ. Around this time last year we were chattin on an online Buddhist forum and were talking about various versions of the Heart Sutra, and he put me onto this one. Although of course it does not touch anything like the profound meaning of the more original translations, I nonetheless really liked it's simplistic variation. And as a rap, it flows really well.
Plus, I must admit that there is a slightly non-conformist and rebellious part of my nature that really revels in something like this. I must admit to once having sat in our shrine room all alone, and rapping this version aloud with some gusto.
It made my inner-Buddha nature smile. I'm sure da Buddha did too :-)
do do do the Funky Buddhist!
ReplyDelete(the Funky Buddhist)
we are here to show you how...
o-o-o!
thanks for the lovely post here TOA! and both of you for the kind thoughts. she was a lovely girl, wasn't she?
Indeed she was a lovely girl, and your photos and drawing on 'For Battle!' really captured her well!
ReplyDeleteDid you know that Aussie songstress Jade McRae (of 'So Hot Right Now' demi-fame) is the daughter of the dude who wrote 'The Funky Gibbon' for The Goodies? See, 'Spicks & Specks' has educational value.
sure did, I watch S&S too!
ReplyDeletewe all heart Adam Hills...