San Francisco Buddhist Center
A Rhyme for a Friend's Ordination
On Mon, 14 January, 2013 - 04:58
rodashruti
Wherein the poet attempts to revalorize Mother Goose (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_the_House_That_Jack_Built) in the hopes of drawing out themes of conditioned co-arising and interdependence (with likely misplacements of ‘who’ and ‘that’). After hearing it, Ethan told me that not only had I revalorized it, I had also ethicized and psychologized it. This is why we get along, Ethan and I. But I digress.
This is the House that Dawn Built
This is the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built.
This is the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built.
This is the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built.
This is the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built
This is friend who stopped on by
To light the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built
This is the heart that met the friend
Who stopped on by
To light the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built
This is the metta that fills the heart
That met the friend
Who stopped on by
To light the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built
This is the mind all clever and smart
That fostered the metta that fills the heart
That met the friend
Who stopped on by
To light the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built
These are the books that that played their part
To make the mind all clever and smart
And foster the metta that fills the heart
That met the friend
Who stopped on by
To light the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built
This is the sangha that wrote the books
That played their part
To make the mind all clever and smart
And foster the metta that fills the heart
That met the friend
Who stopped on by
To light the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built
This is the man who started the sangha
That wrote the books
That played their part
To make the mind all clever and smart
And foster the metta that fills the heart
That met the friend
Who stopped on by
To light the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built
This is the Buddha who met the man
Who started the sangha
That wrote the books
That played their part
To make the mind all clever and smart
And foster the metta that fills the heart
That met the friend
Who stopped on by
To light the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built.
This is the House that Dawn Built
This is the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built.
This is the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built.
This is the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built.
This is the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built
This is friend who stopped on by
To light the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built
This is the heart that met the friend
Who stopped on by
To light the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built
This is the metta that fills the heart
That met the friend
Who stopped on by
To light the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built
This is the mind all clever and smart
That fostered the metta that fills the heart
That met the friend
Who stopped on by
To light the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built
These are the books that that played their part
To make the mind all clever and smart
And foster the metta that fills the heart
That met the friend
Who stopped on by
To light the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built
This is the sangha that wrote the books
That played their part
To make the mind all clever and smart
And foster the metta that fills the heart
That met the friend
Who stopped on by
To light the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built
This is the man who started the sangha
That wrote the books
That played their part
To make the mind all clever and smart
And foster the metta that fills the heart
That met the friend
Who stopped on by
To light the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built
This is the Buddha who met the man
Who started the sangha
That wrote the books
That played their part
To make the mind all clever and smart
And foster the metta that fills the heart
That met the friend
Who stopped on by
To light the flame
Beside the rupa
In front of the cushion
That sits on the mat
That lies in the house that Dawn built.
- 4
I feel so honored to have been there to hear it at its debut. :-)
Thanks for posting this. This is a rhyme that I want to keep, maybe — with your permission — even use it in my ESL class. :-)