Karuna-muditta

 

 To be human is to be sad and joyful at the same time. Angels envy this wholeness. Gods must be born on earth to taste it. The Bhodisattva feels 'karuna,' the sorrow of all grieving creatures, and 'muditta,' the joy of all who rejoice. Yet the sutras name 'Karuna-muditta' as one, not as two separate feelings. For the Bhodisattva, joy and sorrow are one power to feel. Now I share this poem, 'Tears of the Buddha,' from my book, 'Wounded Bud' (LINK).

I have brought you thus far
teaching you to sweep away the past
with a single breath.
Now go forth with nothing
but your gentle smile, the curve
of this moment, horizon of emptiness.
A tear knows how to well up
and when to fall
even if no one is weeping.
Unless, perhaps, it is the moon
bent toward the blossoming plum.
Nothing evokes such drops of love
like being nobody!
This is how your tears become
tears of the Buddha.