Gathas reloaded :)

[ChrisJ]

I work with young adults in a mental health treatment home. One of my least favorite jobs is giving out medications, so I wrote this today:
May these little pills
allow the clouds to part
And the true nature reveal itself long enough
That they may never be needed again.

[Oheso]

upon waking I vow
this day to Awaken.

[pinoybuddhist]

Making hot chocolate gatha

Making hot chocolate for the family
I vow to brew the bodhisattva's compassion and wisdom
May I be the bodhisattva for them

[Daiyo]

I was googling for a work gatha, something to say before starting working to keep feeding my practice for Ango.
I came across this gatha which was written by a Treeleafer: Khalil Bodhi.

I didn't ask for his permission but assume he will be ok with my quoting his gatha here:

Work Gatha

May this work be done in the spirit of generosity
Realizing that merit is the only wage we should seek.
May this work not be motivated by greed, hatred or delusion,
Lest we earn a greater share of suffering.

May kindness sustain us and prevail in conflict,

May compassion guide us and lead us to understanding,
May we rejoice in the successes of others
May we remain unshaken by praise and blame.

Gassho,
Walter

[Nindo]

Hi Walter, Khalil posted this here in the same thread, actually (#19). It's really nice & worth to be read twice or more times!
Gassho,
Nindo

[Daiyo]

Hi Walter, Khalil posted this here in the same thread, actually (#19). It's really nice & worth to be read twice or more times!
Gassho,
Nindo

hahaha, what a stupid I am!

I looked here before and didn't see it.

I'm not in my best day today...

[zdlee]

Hi everyone,

I've been thinking about gathas a bit lately. I kill a lot of insects on a daily basis, unfortunately, and often by accident. Sometimes some larger things like snakes or mice get killed, as well. I've been looking for an appropriate gatha to say at times like this, and haven't really found one. I've written a brief one of my own, and would appreciate it if someone knows of something similar they could point me in that direction as well. Or any addition or adaptation of mine would be wonderful too, really.

May this being forgive the loss of its life;
May we remember our own impermanence
is no different from another's.
Let us strive for awakening together.

Gassho,

Zac

[Daiyo]

Hi all, since I keep forgeting to say the meal gatha before starting to eat, I thought it could be a good idea to say a gratitude gatha after the meal, since I mostly remember the gatha upon finishing or right after.

Here it goes:

This food I have received
Came from the efforts of many beings.
May the merit of those efforts
Return to those who suffered in the process.
May the virtues of this food
Nourish the will to save all beings
May we all live our lives with wisdom and compassion.

[Oheso]

watching the evening news
I vow to decapitate Anger
and water Compassion with my tears.

[Jakugan]

Found this old thread the other day & thought I'd use it as inspiration for my practice during Ango. I work in a call centre and sometimes it's hard not to get caught up with emotions when the centre is busy or I speak to irate customers. I came up with my own gatha that I recite every now and then before I pick up the phone.

Taking each call,
I vow to save all sentient beings,
All customers happy or sad,
May they all be free from suffering.

Gassho,

Simon

Sat Today

[Kokuu]

That is lovely, Simon! Wonderful to have a reminder of your practice at work.

Thich Nhat Hanh also wrote a couple of gathas relating to telephone calls so you are in good company!


Gassho
Kokuu
#sattoday

[Risho]

Thank you for that Simon!

Ah this old post,
I remember a lot of these folks;
I hope they are all happy,
may our paths cross again.

Gassho,

Risho
-sattoday

[martyrob]

Cheers, Simon for re-opening this thread. It's good for treeleaf novices like me to be presented with some of the treasures from the vaults. I think these gathas will come in handy during this Ango-time.
And thank you Kokuu. You are becoming the Treeleaf master of verse. Our poet in residence be it either your Haiku or Gathas.

Many thanks and much appreciation.

Martyn

Sat Today.

[Byokan]

And thank you Kokuu. You are becoming the Treeleaf master of verse.

HE-MAN, master of the gatha verse!
he-man-and-the-masters-of-the-universe.jpg

Gassho
Lisa
sat today

[Kokuu]

That is very kind of you to say Martyn but there are many here with great skill in words.

Gassho
Kokuu
#sattoday