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This book by Rose Carman offers her poems and beautiful Buddhist-inspired insights for wellbeing, peace and happiness. This small book is spiced with beautiful quotations fro authors and thinkers like Vandana Shiva to Adebayo Akomolafe.
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P O E T R Y A N D Q U O T A T I O N S F O R C O N S C I O U S L I V I N G
by Rose Carman
The
Middle Way
To my Mom for inspiring creativity
and my Dad for instilling peacefulness.
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ii
Cover photo: Djanbung Gardens, Nimbin, NSW, Australia.
The book was created using iBooks Author 2.0, and printed on Envirocare 100% Recycled stock by Vertifix Printing in Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Foreword The Buddha said that the ‘middle way,’ the path between deprivation and overindulgence, leads to liberation. This is the path we all must take in order to not only cease the destruction of our world, but also to bring an end to our own suffering. The ‘middle way’ requires moderation and wisdom, and changing our lifestyle in order to restore health to ourselves and to the planet.
The inspiration for this book comes from the urgent need to sustain our natural world, as well as Buddhist teachings of the Dharma (the natural Law that upholds the universe), and Buddhist principles of interconnectedness, mindfulness, and the Four Noble Truths.
These poems were written while traveling through eastern Australia between January and April of 2013 with the School For International Training study abroad program Sustainability and Environmental Action (SIT). See ‘Endnotes’ for brief reflections on select poems.
While compiling the book I spent three weeks living an environmentally sustainable lifestyle in a low-waste house in Coogee, a beach suburb of Sydney, and attended meditation and yoga classes at the Livingroom Yoga School. I also spent ten days practicing meditation and working at the Santi Forest Monastery, where I learned from the monastics about Theravada Buddhist history, tradition, and regulatory structure (vinaya).
The intention of “The Middle Way” is to create awareness of the heart and mind and of our connection to nature. Often we unconsciously let our thoughts and feelings run amok within us; poetry is one way of bringing awareness to this inner space. My goal is not to take a religious standpoint, but rather to motivate action for change by communicating Buddhist principles.
The quotations are collected from those individuals whose words, written or spoken, I find to be particularly inspiring.
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
“…the words themselves are not important. They are not the Truth; they only point to it.”
-Eckhart Tolle
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
Awakening
Pt. I
As we turn our heads toward the west,
Vermillion skies fade into black but first:
The soft pink as sweet as budding blossoms
Yellow glinting like the ripe seeds on a stalk.
Purples plush behind feathery clouds
Soft and whispering
Anticipating shadows yet to come.
Fleeting visions of those that are in danger,
Calling out for help against the glowing sky,
Calling, screaming out for help,
Recognition that we are destroying them.
Don’t break the plane of the window.
Don’t break their flesh with your bullets
They’re not here to interfere
We interfere.
Fear enters
Moments building upon moments
Stacking higher and higher, teetering
My heart flips and flutters sideways
Back and forth, up and down
A long way to fall.
Waiting, waiting, where are they?
Stars peek out in the east.
Then they came,
Infinite strings of shadows calling,
Screaming out for help.
We were not so much breathless as breath-full
Mellow March air rushed into shaking lungs,
Rivers of shadows passed by again and again
Swarms of whirring insect-beasts
They landed out of sight.
Pt. II
They must have arisen
Coming towards us, circling again and again
We waited
Suspended in awe and humility
When the first one alighted
On the black glass that was the river
My skin prickled and my eyes swam.
How can I forsake disclosing
That fingers laced tightly together
In awe and humility?
Endangered, fragile we stood –
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Bodies rigid and careful to keep
From breaking the plane of the window
As they settled, gathered.
And the calling, the soothing, cooing
Or were they screaming out for help?
All light had gone,
Our eyes now finely tuned to the blackness
Made out shapes and envisioned
Great distances traveled and horrors overcome.
Pt. III
Exiting, no longer blinded
No longer caged by carpeted walls
The stars pierced accustomed eyes
And vulnerable hearts.
We walked with craned necks
Heads bent back
In awe and humility.
Crackling sticks of the riverside snapped
Underneath our feet
The earth breathed life into the night
Or maybe it was the other way around
And in the dark the newness was created.
They come, they land,
They call out for help while we watch.
It happens every day.
This happens every day.
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
“…Perhaps then, by embracing the vulnerability that comes with loss and movement and painful partings, we remind ourselves that to be lost is to be found anew,
we realize that to move is to be still in a way that defies location, and that our pains are the portals, the finger holes through which the multiverse blows out mercurial tunes…”
- Bayo Akomolafe
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
The River
We floated down the riverspinning, smiling,cold in the water but heated by the sun.Faces warm and turned upward or toward each otherrunning.Little did we know… we were flung to and fro,over rapids, rushing by boulders androot systems intertwined. Ripples and rocks, leaves logs and twigs at times careeningat times serenely floating,floating.Little did we know…
Then we had floated, still the river diverged. We held on tugging at the other to new streams at times I thought you'd drowned at times I thought I'd drowned I think we both did at times Only to resurface to find ourselves fleeting,
still floating. Little did we know…
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
“Don’t get stuck on the level of words… The word honey isn’t honey. You can study and talk about honey for as long as you like,
but you won’t really know it until you taste it.”
- Eckhart Tolle
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
Cradle Mt.
Tiny worlds
a cheek pressed against the ground
the smell
ah, the smell…
If only we were small enough to see
this tiny plant as a tree
to be
the beholder of this perspective
no bigger than little black lizards
on the wall
the feel
ah, the feel…
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
“The world is too magical, too promiscuous, too disrespectful to abide faithful to any one conception of it.”
- Bayo Akomolafe
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
Night Swim
silver waters wash ashore
warm against breeze-cooled skin
shake sand from salty hair
glitters gold in the moonlight
lit up in the dark night
sky scattered with stars
worlds far from here
with less words to say
and more waves to hear
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
“[The] intention is that we want to wake up, we want to ripen our compassion, and we want to ripen our ability to let go, we want to realize our connection with all beings.”
- Pema Chödrön
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
Abroad
We’ll look upon these days
as tiny budding greenery
scuttling bugs on dew dropped leaves
the heavy heat
and coastal winds.
We’ll look upon these days
as painful and rough
yet laced with light
and with laughter.
We’ll remember, hearts aching
the warm ocean,
moonlight on the sand.
But why wait to look back?
Look now!
It’s happening.
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
“If you are doing the right thing for the earth, she's giving you great company.”
- Vandana Shiva
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
Country Road
leaf-dappled light
green acres sliding by and whispering,
dancing delicate delighted
gently lowered through the valley
tasting air and sun spots
atop moulded mountains of green and green
crackle of gravel
grazing cows lift lazy heads as we sigh
silently staring as we go by
that’s how it was when we drove down the middle
walked the line, just impolite
a year later nothing’s changed
or maybe nothing’s the same
except the thorns and vines
and whispering,
dancing delicate dreams of countryside winding
fences stationed ‘round
and around
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
“No other life form on the planet knows negativity, only humans, just as no other life-form violates and poisons the Earth that sustains it.”
- Eckhart Tolle
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
Public Transportation
What happens in the space between?
Breathing in the heat of the day,
And breathing out a cool ocean spray
Over the masses busy shopping,
Busy being busy.
Their heat rising,
Taking in their bustle
Exchanging in the space between
Issuing out new breath like a soft breeze
Let it touch their cheeks
Let it guide them to this edge.
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.”
- The Buddha
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
Mother Ocean
Pray that you may open your mind’s eye
so that when you look upon the sea
you see the Mother I see.
The space in between the earth and the sky
the place where I hover
held, groundless
in silence
awake
and in dreams, breathing.
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
“Many people are so imprisoned in their minds that the beauty of nature does not really exist for them. They might say ‘What a pretty flower,” but that’s just a mechanical
labeling. Because they are not still, not present, they don’t truly see the flower, don’t feel its essence, its holiness – just as they don’t see themselves, don’t feel their own essence,
their own holiness.”
- Eckhart Tolle
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
Backyard
alighted on a silken petal
to find a water droplet
rolling
reflecting
the color garden
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
"The greatest art is to attain a balance, a balance between all opposites, a balance between all polarities. Imbalance is the disease and balance is health.
Imbalance is neurosis, and balance is well-being."
- Osho
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
The Flame
In the long flame of a burning candleloneliness,(the feeling when you sit alone by a campfire)longing, then nothing…
Then joy!Playfulness as it jumped and danced and trembled like a heart-space exposed. All around the room glowed whitetiny wisps of dark grey smoke licked the glass, fading.
Instead of fanning the flame,plunging into the depths of the sea,
silent and calm
quiet.
Air lights the fireWater cools the airand earth feeds the flame.
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
“Expansion never happens through greediness or pushing or striving. It happens through some combination of learning to relax where you already are
and, at the same time, keeping the possibility open that your capacity, my capacity, the capacity of all beings, is limitless.”
- Pema Chödrön
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
The Cave Pt. I
Today I found
The cave that is my torso
Dark, drops of water
Drip, drop
Silence
Drip, drop
Needs air
A mouth
The wind that is my breath.
Today I lit
a fire in the cave
crackling, sparks
Snaps, whirs
Silence
Drip, drop
Feeds on air
My soul
The cave that is my torso.
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”
- The Buddha
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
Home
brilliant light
golden glowing
everything else fades
fuzzy around me
buzzing around me
singing in the kitchen
washing dishes
smells delicious
cool earth on warm toes
he doesn’t know
he doesn’t know
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
"The real thief is ‘worrying.’ It takes away your time in enjoying life. The future is made right at this moment, thus worrying about the future
is the same as neglecting your future."
- Ajahn Brahm
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
Questioning
what are you most afraid of ?
can you be afraid of the past?
of something that’s not happening?
certainly we are fearful for the future
but the past?
our idea of Time
so limited!
could we see that we live life
just one way
out of infinite ways?
that life could be lived…
oh, that life could be lived any way!
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
“Rather than appreciate where we are, we continually struggle and nurture our dissatisfaction.
It’s like trying to get the flowers to grow by pouring cement on the garden.”
- Pema Chödrön
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
Unlocked
Epileptic images
Unfurling flower-sounds surrounded us.
The room, unlocked,
Untouchable and hopeless
A primetime life situation.
Fluttering curtains, eyelids and eye lashes
the feeling coming and going like a dandelion seed
wished upon the wind
on the day when you’re not quite sure
what
or why
or how you came to be
or where you are
or who you are
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
“The French translation of ‘wandering’ is l’errance, the Latin root of which means to make a mistake. By our errors we see deeper into life. We learn from them.”
- Robyn Davidson
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
What You Find There
Take me to the dock
Stand and watch the water
Weaving and rippling
Lapping up against ancient wood
Of violences past.
Turn around one hundred times
And see how we’ve remained
Unchanged.
Two bad bricks
In a wonder-wall
Was all it was
Wasn’t it?
Or did our monument crumble
To make way for new buildings?
Flowers may grow again one day,
Mightn’t they?
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
“Are you polluting the world or cleaning up the mess? You are responsible for your inner space; nobody else is, just as you are responsible for the planet. As within, so without: if humans clear inner pollution, then they will also cease to create outer pollution.”
- Eckhart Tolle
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
Fireplace
tender quivering heart
raw place
lurches at the slightest touch
hovers over hot embers
beneath smoky rooms
in the space where it’s safe to crawl
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
“Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don't even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves,
the black, curious eyes of a child – our own two eyes. All is a miracle."
- Thich Nhat Hanh
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
The Cave Pt. II
I remember the sea caves
carved out of sandstone,
soft salty floors,
etched initials on the walls.
In the summer
when the sand was high
the cave was nothing
but a ledge under which we'd crouch.
In the winter
when the ceiling was high
a place to sit
and contemplate silent fog.
Waves would rush in
and kiss tiny toes.
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”
- The Buddha
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
The Forest
Listen to the silence,
Even when there’s noise
Find the littlest spaces,
Even with no void.
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
“We are always coming and going, coming and going.”
- Lalantha
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
Kataññu
Kataññu in Pāli, the language spoken by the Buddha, means gratitude.
I would like to acknowledge my parents and friends for their continued positivity and their support of all that I do, my advisor Dr. Eshana Bragg for her guiding light and constructiveness, the SIT staff and students for constantly teaching me new ways of seeing the world, Cecilia Nunez for welcoming me into her home and including me in her sustainable lifestyle, the monastics and laypeople at Santi Forest Monastery for their hospitality and loving-kindness, Bayo Akomolafe for his inspiring talk at the Economics of Happiness Conference, and to our Earth for her beauty, strength, and determination.
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T H E M I D D L E WAY
T H E M I D D L E WAY
Endnotes The following are brief reflections on each poem. Awakening
Originally titled ‘Arrival of the Birds,’ this poem was actually written in March of 2012 after an Environmental Studies class trip to Kansas and Nebraska, USA. It is a relevant prologue for this book, as it was the beginning of my creative expression of an ‘awakening’ to emotional connections with the natural world.
The RiverOn the Gordon River in Tasmania.
Cradle Mt.SIT study trip to Cradle Mountain, Tasmania.
Night SwimIn Byron Bay, New South Wales.
AbroadAt times early on in the trip I started to think about how I’d eventually look back
and remember my study abroad experience, but in doing so, I missed what was happening in the present moment. The only way to affect the ‘then’ is to act in the ‘now.’
Country RoadI wrote this after taking a drive through the countryside north of Lismore, New
South Wales. I was incredibly moved by the landscape, and was reminded of land-scapes I’d seen on the Great Plains in the USA the previous year. I was delighted to find similarities of two vastly different geographical locations.
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Public TransportationThis poem is based on the meditation practice of Tonglen, which involves
breathing in the suffering of others and in turn breathing out happiness to those beings. While using public transportation and walking around a great deal in Sydney, I found Tonglen meditation a good way to spread loving-kindness to strangers and avoid getting overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle.
Mother OceanI intentionally chose to live near the ocean to complete this book. Lulled to sleep by
the waves as a child, I made a point to stay close by living in Coogee. I have always drawn inspiration from the ocean, and the intention of this poem is to spread this appreciation. With that appreciation I hope will develop the need for preservation of this omnipotent body of water.
BackyardCecilia, who I lived for three weeks, has a lush and thriving garden in the backyard
of her house in Coogee. This poem was inspired by her wonderful plot, but also by the impressive backyard and community gardens that the study program visited.
The FlameThis poem describes an insight I had during a group meditation about the need for
the balance of elements in my own life and in the world. This insight affirmed one of the main messages of this project: working for inner balance will create outer balance and healing the self will heal nature.
The Cave Pt. IGroup meditation, Coogee, New South Wales.
HomeWritten after spending a sunny day in the garden in Coogee, New South Wales.
QuestioningDrawing upon traditional wisdom and indigenous worldview, I wrote this poem
after the study program went on an Aboriginal camping trip. Westernized notions about how life should be lived, although dominant, are limited and by no means describe a be-all end-all way to live. Listening to Dreamtime stories of Aboriginal
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ancestry broadened my understanding of existence, especially in terms of connection with nature.
UnlockedA reflection on past, present, and future.
FireplacePutting logs on the fire at Santi Forest Monastery, Bundanoon, New South Wales.
The Cave Pt. IIMemories of Mitchell’s Cove from my childhood in Santa Cruz, Ca., USA.
What You Find ThereThis poem, written after my stay at the Santi Forest Monastery, was inspired by a
story told by Buddhist teacher Ajahn Brahm. In short, the story says that people tend to build walls in which 998 bricks are laid beautifully but all we see are the two bricks that we laid crookedly. Rather than acknowledging all the good work we’ve done with the 998 others we let the two bad bricks represent the entire wall.
When we are trying to make change in the world it’s important to recognize the goodness that exists, goodness we can continue to build upon.
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About the Author
Rose Carman was born and raised by the ocean in Santa Cruz, Ca., USA. As an only child, brought up in a large and loving group of friends, she has a strong connection to her hometown and its community. She attended the Santa Cruz Waldorf School grades 1-8 where she first took an interest in writing poetry, and at Santa Cruz High School (2006-2010) she continued her creative writing. Rose is currently enrolled as an Environmental Studies major at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, Ny., USA and plans to continue to work with environmental and spiritual sustainability after graduation in 2014. She’s travelled to Mexico, Costa Rica, England, France, Canada, and
Australia. She likes grilled veggies, candied ginger, and swimming in the ocean.
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