Buddhism — a poem by Dan Brook, author of “Harboring Happiness: 101 Ways To Be Happy”

We don’t typically publish poetry on Buddha Weekly, but when Dan Brook sent this lovely, short poem, we couldn’t resist. Dan is the author of Harboring Happiness: 101 Ways to Be Happy.[1] [Editors note: Punctuation and spelling is as preferred by the author.]

Buddhism
by Dan Brook, Ph.D.

a dear in Deer Park
Buddha preaches in Sarnath
outside ancient Varanasi
already ancient when he arrived
telling us what we know
yet we do not always realize
or remember
suffering exists
suffering has causes
suffering has solutions
instead of craving and attachment
we should align
our good thoughts, good words, and good deeds
whatever we desire
and most everything else
will eventually be gone
permanent impermanence
perfect imperfections
meditation for peace of mind
focused awareness without judgment
cultivating lovingkindness
compassion for others
compassion for self
it is not personal
no me without we
seeing reality for what it is
recognizing oneness
breaking the cycle
forming positive patterns
becoming free and happy
enlightenment

A statue commemorating Buddha’s first teaching in Deer Park.

About Dan Brook

Dan Brook teaches in the Department of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences at San Jose State University, from where he organizes the Hands on Thailand program. His most recent books are Harboring Happiness: 101 Ways To Be Happy (Beacon, 2021), Sweet Nothings (Hekate, 2020), about the nature of haiku and the concept of nothing, and Eating the Earth: The Truth About What We Eat (Smashwords, 2020).

Cover of Harboring Happiness.

NOTES

[1] Link to Harboring Happiness: 101 Ways To Be Happy (Beacon, 20221) is an Amazon Affiliate link for Buddha Weekly. Price remains the same, although we may earn a small commission used for hosting costs.