The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching
In late May and early June my guy and I went to his cabin in Bonanza, Colorado, a place he calls Poustinia (Russian for "desert," a place for solitude). For me it was a magical time. There was no water (except for the creek and what we brang), no electricity, no satellite signal to connect us to the outside world.. nothing but nature and he and I. It was a magical experience, a respite from the chaos of the city.
The first time we went it was cold, and it snowed. We burned wood in the stove to cook and heat the cabin. The aspens were still mostly leaveless then. The second time it was warmer, and a multitude of birds sang to us all day, but especially in the morning. We saw deer almost every time we drove down the road. Kerber creek was running heavy because of the snow melting from Mt. Gilda. The scenery was magnificent, and I couldn't stop smiling.
I read Thich Nhat Hanh's book, "The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching" while I was there. The whole experience was like a lesson in mindfulness. It became part of my Noble Eightfold Path. He and I saw so many wonderful things in this little mining town, and it changed me and gave me peace. I will never forget my time at his cabin in the mountains.
These poems are from my experience there.
I smile as
the pavement turns
into a washboard road
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
a young aspen
broken in two
for no reason at all
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
a bluejay greets us
as we arrive
at the cabin
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
closing my eyes
to the sound of
a million birds
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
roaring in my ears
the sound of the creek
in neverending mindfulness
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
four inches of snow
falls in the night
in the middle of May
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
stepping outside naked
my bare feet in snow
at four in the morning
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
the thump of a squirrel
wakes me up
as it jumps on the cabin
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
I say good morning
to a mountain bluebird
I have never seen before
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
drunk on the smell
of maple-cured bacon
on a Coleman stove
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
a hummingbird and I
watch each other
have breakfast
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
mountain aspen leaves
that weren't there
two days ago
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
wide-eyed and smiling
listening to the song of an
unknown unseen bird
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
in back of the cabin
a deer forgets I'm there
and continues grazing
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
a beaver dam
floods the creek
and blocks the road
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
a pack rat scrambles
at the sound of my footsteps
in an abandoned mine
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
I put down my book
and start reading
the mountain
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
across the creek
crows fly for hours
tree to tree
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
hunting the mountain
first one red-tailed hawk
then three
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
I forget why I ran
to the silence of mountains
and I cry and I cry
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching
he and I silent
watching the moonrise
flood the valley with light
the heart of the
Buddha's teaching