Soulful Sadhak

This poem is inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh's story about  the warrior and the pine gate . Dear old pine gate Please let me come inside I have slayed all my demons and traveled far and wide I want to return home and sit by my master’s side Dear old warrior To enter through my door you must have a pure intention and stop running after more delusion, greed and hatred can pervert you at your core Oh petty pine gate Why don’t you open for me? So hard have i fought for all beings to be free Why do you hold me back from celebrating victory? Oh hard-headed warrior I cannot let you in Go sit by the river Did you really win? Take out your looking glass Do you see virtue or sin? Oh pitiless pine gate Am i at the gate of heaven or the gate of hell? I don’t know where I’m headed Please can you tell Was I really so glorious Or did my soul I sell? Oh weary warrior You have nothing left to hide Where else for you to go then to look deep inside Did you really slay your demons or was your demon pride?...

Here's a little song i wrote. I heard someone singing 'Sweet Home Alabama', and though the melody is catchy, i couldn't really resonate with the lyrics. My spiritual teacher taught me that our true home is the present moment, so i decided to change the lyrics. So this is my blues rock tribute to Thay and Plum Village. It was fun to try and combine the language of these two traditions. Here is how it goes, hope you like it.   Sweet Home Present Moment Melody: Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd I was feeling down and out in life Without a place to call my own Wanted to let go of my struggle and strife And find my way back home I heard about a teacher they called Thay Wanted to go and ask him how To find that pie up in the sky But he said: ‘It’s here and now’ CHORUS Sweet home present moment Where the skies are clear and true Sweet home present moment Oh, i'm coming home to you On i went to Plum Village for retreat To go and lay my burden down Time to rest my weary fe...

 This is a new song i wrote, inspired by Plum Village and the mystical poetry of old. In Plum Village, we have this saying: 'to be a drop in the Sangha (community) river' and to 'flow with the Sangha'. This led me to writing this song:       Lyrics   Into You i want to flow and of my self to let go To be one with the waves Any peril i can brave    I will stand through the storm Here i will die and be reborn Won’t you join hands with me as we dive into the sea        CHORUS Sea of love, take me Sea of love, wake me Sea of love   To be a drop in Your ocean Letting go of every notion Swaying only with Your motion Is the most profound emotion   To find the greatest love Far below is high above In these waters i will drown Deeper deeper i go down        CHORUS   To go beyond birth and death from my first to my last breath Sea you are my womb and sea you’ll be my tomb        CHORUS ...

Compassion grows as mindfulness slows A warm embrace brings a tear to my face A deep look, the words from the book As together we transform we bring calm into the storm We grow peace by peace to ease the raging seas See the new spring bud coming out after the flood Set free the white dove the answer remains love  

It’s great to be alive In 2025 Bombs keep falling taking children’s lives Keep hoping for peace through our struggle and our strife It’s great to be alive In 2025 It’s great to be alive In 2025 Did we elect leaders who won’t fool us and connive? Who is gonna take on Injustice that is rife? It’s great to be alive In 2025 It’s great to be alive In 2025 AI and algorithms what do they contrive? Who knows where we’re going with cars in self-drive? It’s great to be alive In 2025 It’s great to be alive In 2025 The richest in the world are making us deprived Will it be possible for equality to revive? It’s great to be alive In 2025 It’s great to be alive In 2025 A dictator’s regime takes a crash dive Let us keep on pushing for freedom to thrive It’s great to be alive In 2025 It’s great to be alive In 2025 What’s happening to our climate and wildlife It will be a great year if we all manage to survive It’s great to be alive In 2025 It’s great to be alive In 2025 May there be a way for us to arr...

Liefste Ellen, Ik werd vandaag wakker en jij niet meer Ondraaglijk gaat het lijden over en weer Ik was half verdoofd Jouw vuur was al gedoofd Jij kon geen pijnstillers vragen Jouw pijn was niet te verdragen Hoe kan ik voortleven als jij, tot wanhoop gedreven, door wonden die lagen te gapen terwijl ik lag te slapen ons midden verliet Hoe ga ik om met dit verdriet? De één viert z’n trouw de ander dompelt zich in rouw Ze bouwen een huis maar jij kwam niet voorbij de ruwbouw Een kind wordt geboren een kind overlijdt En wij zitten hier met wroeging en spijt Het is een geschiedenis die zich herhaalt hebben wij dan allemaal gefaald? Of was het misschien wel de maatschappij die geen plek heeft, voor mensen als jij? Op wie zullen we het steken Kunnen we de cirkel doorbreken? Je nam je antwoorden mee in het graf Hoe maken wij ze nu verder af? Ik wil vloeken, dit is hard Kreeg je maar een nieuwe start Ellen, ik wil voor je leven en andere kansen geven die jij niet hebt gehad omdat het leven jouw ...