Poems of devotion

Working with the lights

Homage to the lama and yidam

Oh glorious ones, so free
Show me the heart essence
that opens the gate -  before it’s too late!

First – the searching of the heart
Cobwebs of the past obscure the chance
to make a fresher start

What a fortune to receive the blessings of you all
Wisdom woman, wisdom man
you who walked the path of ego-slaughter
Listen to my call!
Let me be your humble daughter

Resting on a lotus flower
Tender dewdrops in the rainbow shower
from the linage power

Let the colour-water-light
illuminate and moisturize
the dried out places of the heart

Let that rain be full of bliss
giving such a tender kiss
melting all the ice of frozen fear
nowhere -  really - to be found
yet seeming oh so real

Victorious ones of ego-slaughter
let me be your lucky daughter
Teacher, teach me how to shine
and share the rainbow wine

Let the blessed rain
fall on every barren plain
to feed the hungry ghost
Let it fall and give the kiss of bliss
to those who need it most
May no soul be left behind
Open up the treasure gate
Open rainbow mind

Help me to be free
when shadows follow close behind
Teacher, share your mind with me
Soak me in the tender space
that lends the power to be free          

Heidi, May 2005

Guru Yoga

I think of you and you quicken my mind
To act for the suffering beings
As I blend with your heart I learn
Of the greatest compassion for all
I am not yet so wise as to know what to do
So I do what I hope to learn
In little ways, to forget myself
And act for others wellbeing

But with knowledge as thin as a leaf
And ego-clinging as thick as a tree
There’s not much I can do for relief
So I have to rely on your wisdom and love
To rain down on me
To shine and awaken my mind
To what has to be done

Heidi 2007

How could I express it?

How could I speak of unspeakable joy
Of the warmth and brightness of mind
That comes my way, as a blessing I know
How were you my luck to find

How could I express or show my love
And speak the unspeakable words
And give something back, a little respect
To my Teacher who rules over myriad worlds

If only, if only, if all went well
One day I would be like you
Bestowing the blessings through the realms
To help suffering beings come through

I can’t dance or sing, I can’t offer a thing
But my heart and a wish so strong
That if you needed some thing, I would bring it to your door
And even sing you that song

Heidi 2007

Impermanence

 You just left
yet here I am
still dwelling in you

Caught in the longing
of the heart
again

But I know if I told you
you’d say
it’s OK
I’m always with you
anyway

Heidi, Skipnes, 2007

Loneliness and the inner Teacher

I have this family longing
A pain in my heart
Complains the student
I am alone

My child, you now belong with the
Buddhas and bodhisattvas
So do not worry
Everyone is your family from now on
Says the teacher in a tender tone

Every being’s heart matches your own
Move swiftly to alleviate the loneliness
And suffering wherever you go
And in the open spaces
When no one knocks at your door
Your devotion will ensure
That you are never alone

Heidi 2007

Dharma – poems

Comes a time

Comes a time when all is freed
from what binds the blissful force
that longs to come out from the core
Ancient pains and fear of love
restrict and bind the mind
that wants to fly and lead the way
with joy onto the other shore

Comes a time when free from lack
there is no longer greed
or need to be afraid of truth
A time to take projections back
and rest in energy that knows
so well to flow and shine
and change the murky water
into sparkling wine

Heidi 2005

Don’t give up

To the mothers who’s tears have dried up
for the loss of sons

To the daughters being raped
by the rage of powerless fathers

To the sons who are struggling in
meaningless battles

To the fathers loosing the strength
to protect the unprotected

To the lovers, painfully separated
by disillusioned hearts

To the lonely souls who keep knocking
at closed doors

Don’t give up
rest your sorrow in the arms of the unseen

Surely – in time
benevolent forces will come to your rescue
as long as you keep your heart clean

Heidi  2005

A treasure in the trouble

Baby Chöd

I am really swinging in these high waves
Of worst case scenario
Almost drowning in the tears welling up
Into my open eyes

Almost flying in the bliss of
Getting really wet
From the blessings
Hidden in the troubling waves

Heidi 2007

In search of love

Life seems to move in circles
round and round
until a treasure lost
again is found

Love seems to hide in places
far away
in search of you, those wings
of hope led me astray

Without a drop of you
it was so empty in my jar
yet all those moments dreaming
life and time was going by!

So I stayed still
and didn’t leave my heart
to fancy dreams, but traced
that longing way back to the start

I saw that when you don’t
escape from loss or run from pain
the journey back to love is neither
hopeless nor in vain

Those painful places are the
gate, its here, so near
a love so vast will hold your heart
unbound by hope and fear

Heidi 2004
 

Transformation

Creating from this place
Of plain despair

Like a flower emitting
It’s fragrance when it is crushed

That’s how lions
Transform

Heidi 2007

There is a sorrow at the centre of the world

There is a sorrow at the centre of the world
That stays and stays
And bleeds
As long as any of us are still suffering

Every time we pierce another’s heart
Or misuse another for one’s own glory only
It bleeds again

An ocean of blood

How can we not shed the tears
And cleanse our hearts
And pray we will come to our senses
Again

Love is here

There is a sorrow at the centre of the world
That needs our tears to be free

Heidi, 07.07.07

The mountain and the garden

I see you from my inner mountain top
It’s open, clear, and cool
And you’re looking bright
From here

I meet you in my inner garden
Its warm, and moist with dewdrops
Caressing us both

Opening everything up
To that creative spark
In the ocean of tenderness

Man and woman mystery
Coming together
For the benefit of all

Heidi 2005

So hard to surrender

Why is it so hard to surrender
To let go of all worries and strife
So hard to just trust what is tender
Instead, we sharpen the knife

In fear of just letting things be
We hold on with all our might
When everything could be so free
We think we must squeeze it tight

In holding so tightly we miss
Just what we’re trying to gain
Instead of freedom and bliss
We end up with confusion and pain

Why is it so hard to surrender
And relax in the bright open space
In the arms of the wise and the tender
And open ourselves to grace

Yet there’s no better place to start
And no better time than today
No sweeter space than the heart
With that we can’t go astray!

Heidi, Lotus Garden,  2006

Can’t rely on the wind

Tonglen

Can’t rely on the wind
for change
Can’t rely on your love
For pleasure or pain

Can only be one with the pain
And exchange it with love
Again and again

Heidi 2005

Medicine Rap

It was one of those days
When everything got squeezed
And no matter what happened
I was far from pleased

I was squeezed to the core
And couldn’t take any more
Of that terrible feeling
I had felt before

I said give me some medicine
Medicine quick
Got to have some medicine
To do the trick (x 2)

You said I don’t know
The right medicine for you
Don’t ask me
What you’re gonna do

But then again
If you want my view
There’s some very good medicine
In the middle of you

You are the medicine
Medicine trick
Got to use your medicine
To break that brick (x 2)

Heidi, 2003