ធម្មានន្ទ Dhammananda

Hymn of Universal Love

 Who seeks to promote his welfare,
Having glimpsed the state of perfect peace,
Should be able, honest and upright,
Gentle in speech, meek and not proud.  

Contented, he ought to be easy to support,
Not over-busy, and simple in living.
Tranquil his senses, let him be prudent,
And not brazen, nor fawning on families. 

Also, he must refrain from any action
That gives the wise reason to reprove him.
(Then let him cultivate the thought:)
May all be well and secure,
May all beings be happy! 
Whatever living creatures there be,
Without exception, weak or strong,
Long, huge or middle-sized,
Or short, minute or bulky, 

Whether visible or invisible,
And those living far or near,
The born and those seeking birth,
May all beings be happy! 

Let none deceive or decry
His fellow anywhere;
Let none wish others harm
In resentment or in hate. 

Just as with her own life
A mother shields from hurt
Her own son, her only child,
Let all-embracing thoughts
For all beings be yours. 

Cultivate an all-embracing mind of love
For all throughout the universe,
In all its height, depth and breadth —
Love that is untroubled
And beyond hatred or enmity. 

As you stand, walk, sit or lie,
So long as you are awake,
Pursue this awareness with your might:
It is deemed the Divine State here. 

Holding no more to wrong beliefs,
With virtue and vision of the ultimate,
And having overcome all sensual desire,
Never in a womb is one born again.
~Buddha~ 

The Karaniya Metta Sutta

Hymn of Universal Love
 
This is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech.
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied.
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature.
Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: In gladness and in saftey,
May all beings be at ease.

Whatever living beings there may be;
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be-born,
May all beings be at ease!
Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will
Wish harm upon another.

Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings:
Radiating kindness over the entire world
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will.

Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding.
By not holding to fixed views,
The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
Is not born again into this world.
 

Why Worry? 

by Venerable  K. Sri Dhammananda

When you're feeling sad, my dearie,
Go and cheer some other soul,
When you're feeling weak and weary,
Smile, and lend a hand to all; 

Then the morrow will dawn happier,
And the sun will brighter shine;
And the day will seem far fairer
Than if you were prone to pine. 

When you're feeling angry, dearie,
Speak one word of love and peace
To the one who make you angry,
And your anger soon will cease; 

Love is always like the sunshine,
It will ever bring you cheer:
How brightly gleams its rays divine
Spreading happiness far and near!

 Hate is like the fire, my dearie,
It will burn your heart and mind;
It will make you sick and weary;
Love can heal the sick and blind.

 So may you be a sun of love
To shine aloft the sky of life;
From sphere to sphere in thought to move,
And dispel darkness, hate and strife!

The Four Noble Truths

.............
H.H. The Supreme Patriarch of Thai Sangha
Translated by Siri Buddhasukh.
   
The Buddha’s four Sacca
Must be realised first hand
So they’ll become Ariya
To aspirants who can
Take pains to cultivate
Tranquility-Insight
Thereby eliminate
Desire with all their might.
Of course this to include
Aversion as its reverse
Of the same coin of truth
Both to be conquered first.
Also its pair of twins
Attachment-Repulsion
Both as the nearest kin
The temptor and villain.
Three spiralling movements
With each Truth covered thrice
In their winding ascents
With all four Truths realised.
Knowing what each is like
Then what is there to do
Thereafter how to strike
The right means through and through.
May we Buddhists take pains
Struggling for Dhamma-eye
Which is excellent gains
By which to verify

How our Buddha’s teaching
Is unexcelled, timeless
Refuge of all beings
Through us as His witnesses. 
.......................................................................

For Warmth
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh  
I hold my face in my two hands.
No, I am not crying.
I hold my face in my two hands
to keep the loneliness warm:
two hands protecting,
two hands nourishing,
two hands preventing
my soul from leaving me in anger!