The Warrior of Dharma

"Only a trained elephant goes to the battlefield;

only a trained elephant carries the king.

Best among men are those who have trained the mind

to endure harsh words patiently"

Dhammapada 24:321

As the slings and arrows of prejudiced thought forms

penetrate into the depths of one's mind,

pay the deed no heed

and be willing to forgive the perpetrator 

for they know not what they do

While under the influence of the intoxicating liquors 

of ignorance and attachment,

the bewildered run to and fro,

having no place to silence their weary and confused emotions

Consider it one's dharma to shield those who have lost track of the Way

for the Compassionate One suffers through them

When the mind of the multitudes is as a stormy sea,

the sobering rock of Buddhahood

remains as if it were out of reach

By becoming absorbed in the ability to remain 

as determined as a will-filled elephant,

any further progress on the path of sorrow will come to a

grinding halt, causing all that which afflicts one

to flee out of one's bosom

To be a warrior among the cowardly

is to roam the grounds of being with total self-confidence

in the graceful awareness of what it means

to be accomplished within and without

by Julian Colgan

The Blue Cross and Shining Sunset Academy - copyright