meditating theravada

I guess this has become a monthly blog, which reflectively emphasizes this blogs own lack of self importance.

Yesterday I, and over 120 others, were indoctrinated into "the knowledgeable" by the Human Rights Commission. As we sat for three hours and listened to slide after slide, I found myself composing a chant as a form of meditation. Relaxing into a rhythm I could absorb the presentation without falling asleep (as many of my colleagues did).

meditating theravada

TRUTH FOUND IN BONE
FLESH PROMOTES LIES,
DEATH BRINGS YOU HOME
RENT WE THESE LIVES.

ART BECOMES LIGHT
DARKNES OUR WORD,
ALONE STANDS RIGHT
LEFT TO THE HERD.

WOMEN KEEP CAGED
FREEING THE MAN,
GROWN FULLY AGED
YOUTH ALWAYS WANS.

CHANT WE THESE WORDS.

Chant we these words.

Youth always wans
Grown fully aged,
Freeing the man
Women keep caged.

Left to the herd
Alone stands right,
Darkness our word
Art becomes light.

Rent we these lives
Death brings you home,
Flesh promotes lies
Truth found in bone.

The title comes from something I have in my notebooks from the Sanskrit. There are many Buddhist traditions of chant, but the literal translation of स्थविरवाद is "teachings of the Elders" which expresses the state I was in at the time the poems creation. I was listening to the teachings while creating some lessons of my own.

The CAPS are intentional as the reverse of the chant is in a lower tone. The structure of the chant as a series of idealogical crossing parallelisms in antithesis and rhyme is intended to create a sense of motion balanced by the tone of the spoken words.

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