The Eternal Guide

Born to a confused suffering world was a man unsurpassed,
Not immortal, not divine, yet god-like ways He had,
The way to Truth, the path to Peace, He showed in logical form,
Two thousand years and more ago was Gautama Buddha born.

Seeing the misery of the world, the anguish and remorse,
He yearned to seek the Deathless, rid man of endless woes,
Renouncing Royal inheritance, infant son and wife,
Alone He roamed in ascetic garb, He was but twenty-nine.

For six long years He laboured hard, to seek release from pain,
Mortified Himself in various ways to achieve His noble aim
Until one blessed blissful dawn, He found what He did seek,
When with striving and with wisdom, He reached the utmost peak

No divine aid, no heavenly power, He summoned for this task,
Deep compassion, boundless love for us was all He had,
The insight He did thus attain, with mind superbly trained,
Has stood the test of centuries, the Eightfold Path its name.

This way to attain deliverance with deftness He defined,
His knowledge vast, His reasoning mind, a supreme god denied,
Man makes his destiny, He said, he controls his own life,
With this He raised all mankind up to a lofty height.

“Our Hells we ourselves do make, our Heavens we create,
We reap what we have earlier sown, what we now sow we'll reap”;
Law of action and reaction, with clarity He affirmed,
With parable and with allegory, the Karmic Law confirmed.

Why are some born blessed and some born cursed?
If it be a Good Creator’s work, why is man so vicious?
Thus He reasoned, thus He queried, citing concrete fact,
He revealed the Dhamma not with commands but with tact.

His benign words fell on men like gentle summer rain,
“Kill, destroy, curse and burn” was never his refrain,
“Purity of word and deed, a mind by meditation trained
Can cancel out previous Karma, can turn one into saint.”

Thus he preached: Mind not colour, caste or creed,
All men are brothers on this Earth, that was His firm belief;
“Total freedom to think and speak I grant with joy to thee,
Use your power of reason, and be no slave, not even to me.

“Deliverance lies within your power, follow the path I show,
Seek not refuge in gods and prayer, rituals by the score;
Exert yourself, cleanse your mind, release you then shall find
From this endless birth-death cycle wherein you are confined.”

Sorrow is indeed universal, this fact He emphasised,
But a pessimist He never was, for He had seen the Light;
He had found the Perfect Answer to end man’s many ills,
A tried-and-tested flawless answer, born of His many skills.
All misery is caused by egotism, man’s avarice as well,
What we regard as delights are transient He said,
True happiness lies within oneself, not in rank or wealth,
Not in power, not in honour, not in worldly knowledge.

“With hatred, lust and ignorance, the whole world is in flames,
Attain the Four Sublime States, the fires will then be tamed;
Sympathetic joy, equanimity, universal love, compassion,
Will help transform the entire world and rid it of all passion.”

Self-reliance and moral courage He valued above all;
Free enquiry He encouraged, blind faith He did not want,
Appealed He more to intellect, not to sentiment alone,
To woman He gave an honoured place, within and without home.

Science and politics, law and medicine, He took them in His stride,
His theories, spelt out eons ago, can still be well applied;
Men of intellect and learning look up to Him as guide,
Modern science bows its head before His genius bright.

His serene words spread far and wide, no blood was ever shed,
No mighty king unsheathed his sword to propagate His faith;
Alone of all great religions the world has ever known,
His sublime teaching stands unique, for the tolerance it has shown.

The greatest man who walked this earth has left His message and gone,
But His profound philosophy stands firm, unchallenged and strong,
His noble aim of self-less service is example to us all,
As is His infinite Compassion for all beings great and small.

By Nalini Colonne