The Buddhist texts include a great number of wonderful teachings from the Buddha. But they also contain other gems.
There is a collection called the Khuddaka Nikaya which contains a number of suttas, fragments of teachings, and poems. In the eighth book of the Khuddaka Nikaya, the Theragatha, there are a number of poems from early Buddhist monks. These poems are wonderful, and I recommend you take a look at them. Here is one of my favourites:
As if sent by a curse,
it drops on us —
aging.
The body seems other,
though it’s still the same one.
I’m still here
have never been absent from it,
but I remember myself
as if somebody else’s.
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Reblogged this on meatdoesntgrowinmygarden.
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So true….I look in the mirror and wonder where I went, I try to open a jar of pickles and wonder where my strength has gone, forget talking about my knees…LOL aging….its like a bad joke that sneaks up on us……thanks for the words….kat
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beautiful poem, I’m eager to further explore Khuddaka Nikaya
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Hi Natasha, thanks for visiting! You should definitely explore it, it has some beautiful glimpses into the life of average monks – their fears and worries and struggles. I find it almost voyeuristic in its personal nature. Like a window into the past. 🙂
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