DREAMS OF TIBET (Α Triptych)

TARA

Born out of tears of Compassion,

Young and pure Princess who vowed solemnly

To reach the highest state of Buddhahood

While still remaining in a female body;

As radiant as the iridescent crystal

Whose facets reflect five sacred hues;

As white and immaculate as the Truth itself,

Swift-footed and all-seeing from the top of Potala,

The blessed Dolma who embraces wisdom and art

And listens with equal mercy and vigor

To the pleas of a learned lama and a shepherd boy,

Always rapt and eager to spring into action,

Please, help my fellow earthy travelers

Who are experiencing misery in the wheel of Samsara

And grant them constant perfection and longevity

For the benefit of all the sentient beings.

NIGHT

When the Sun is dimming down its rays

Over the grey peaks of Himalayans,

Myriads of stars light up on the skies,

So variable, so tantalizingly close –

The spirits of the Great Gurus of the past

Reflected in the sacrificial lamps

Left by those whose hearts and minds

Are open for the perception of Dharma.

These immovable gems look so close

In this austere mountain land

That it seems that you can reach them

In one quick wave of your hand.

But this illusion will disperse, too,

With the first flash of spectral dawn

That paints the ridges, barchans and valleys

Into all shades of lilac and pink…

DREAMS OF TIBET

A lonely stupa

Looking into the waters of a sacred lake,

Lung-ta*, “wind horses”,

Echoing the eternal music of wind.

Blinding blue,

The chill of approaching dawn

And the sound of dungchen**

Ripping the Mother Earth’s womb.

Impetuous clouds

Will bring rain or snow,

Ocean will cover

Even the highest plateaus,

Only to recede

In due time, revealing the new expanses –

The Shining Emptiness

Over the holy realm of Chenrezig***.

Svetlana Goryacheva

April 11, 2010

*) Prayer flags in Tibetan Buddhism.

**) A Tibetan musical instrument, a long trumpet or horn.

***) The Tibetan name for Avalokiteshvara, the male Bodhisattva of Compassion.