FICUS RELIGIOSA

Under the bodhi tree -

I vow with all beings

to sit until I become one with

all the heart-shaped leaves.

.

Under the mucalinda tree -

I vow with all beings

to sit until the moon, a bowl,

is almed only by the Good.

.

Under the goatherd`s banyan -

I vow with all beings

to sit until at the root,

every snake becomes an acolyte.

.

Under the rajayatana tree -

I vow with all beings

to sit until the nests of all the birds

are given gifts by the cuckoo.

.

Under the red-blossoming asokas -

I vow with all beings

to sit until the clouds reissue

the seeds of knowledge.

.

Under the thin mulberry -

I vow with all beings

to sit until the silk-worms

eat all greed driven life-cycles.

.

--BETWEEN THE PALACE AND THE BODHI TREE

By Judith Beveridge

Ten poems in the voice of Siddhattha Gotama as he wanders the forests --