Written on March 15, 2021
I wake up at 6 Mom makes some grits and greens My bed is rumpled The sheets need to be washed I chant Nam myoho renge kyo The story of my life The title of my Buddhahood The title of the story of the Universe From time without beginning While I dawdle on my computer Just gotta finish this blog post My fingers sweat with anxiety As I clack them across the keyboard Barely finished Half-baked book review But at least you finished it after Weeks of procrastination I pack my lunch Spaghetti and vegetables with tomato sauce And a banana I grab my two masks And go out the door Shoot I forgot my phone I rush back into the house And grab it In my sleepy haze I travel down the roads of my neighborhood Cars turn left I turn right without looking Thank God it's school zone time A car glides along There could have been a collision But my mind is brainwashed By the marijuana of sleepiness I start chanting as my car glides Through the quiet morning streets And the sun bathes my eyes and face In its radiance Nam myoho renge kyo Nam myoho renge kyo Nam myoho renge kyo "Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh Of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo"* I keep this little jewel of wisdom in my Back pocket And remember that my life I am the Gohonzon The embodiment of Nam myoho renge kyo Even if I barely try to get through the day I need not slander my Buddhahood If you love yourself It's easier to love other people As I write this poem In the parking lot of work In the peaceful solitude of my car I intone the title of Buddhahood Nam myoho renge kyo My busy mind slows It pumps the brakes To savor every honey syllable And my body feels like limp spaghetti Know thyself I sink into my greater self And manifest it in more ways than one When I chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo I bring forth the wisdom, courage, compassion And life force that has been the essence of my being And the essence of others And the essence of the universe Since time without beginning. *from "The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon," page 832, The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, volume 1. Soka Gakkai
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