Sparing not a thought for his death. His family cannot save him, Death overtakes the man Not his father nor his sons. Who, giddy and distracted by the world, Know this. Cares only for his flocks and his children, Seek wisdom, and purity. Death fetches him away Quickly the way. As a flood carries off a sleeping village. YOUR JOB On a sheet of paper, with your group: Summarize your verse. What does the verse discuss? Point out metaphors, personification, prevalent imagery (nature, heaven, morality, human body, and others), etc. What is the message of your verse? What is the saying? “poem” Overall, what is the verse’s message about Buddhism? What could a spiritual person learn from the verse? How does it say one should live his/her life? PREPARE A 3-5 MINUTE ANALYSIS OF YOUR VERSE TO SHARE WITH THE CLASS. SHARE A FEW PASSAGES WITH THE GROUP, INCLUDING PERTINENT IMAGES AND LINES WHICH FURTHER THE VERSE’S MESSAGE. FOUR Yourself Love yourself and watch - How easy to lose yourself Today, tomorrow, always. In mischief and folly. First establish yourself in the way, The kashta reed dies when it bears fruit. Then teach, So the fool, And so defeat sorrow. Scorning the teachings of the awakened, To straighten the crooked Spurning those who follow the dharma, You must first do a harder thing - Perishes when his folly flowers. Straighten yourself. Mischief is yours. You are your only master. Sorrow is yours. Who else? But virtue is also yours, Subdue yourself, And purity. And discover your master. You are the source Willfully you have fed Of all purity and impurity. Your own mischief. No one purifies another. Soon it will crush you Never neglect your work As the diamond crushes stone. For another's, By your own folly However great his need. You will be brought as low Your work is to discover your work As you worst enemy wishes. And then with all your heart So the creeper chokes the tree. To give yourself to it. How hard it is to serve yourself, YOUR JOB On a sheet of paper, with your group: Summarize your verse. What does the verse discuss?
Sparing not a thought for his death. Death overtakes the man Who, giddy and distracted by the world, Cares only for his flocks and his children, Death fetches him away As a flood carries off a sleeping village. His family cannot save him, Not his father nor his sons. Know this. Seek wisdom, and purity. Quickly the way. YOUR JOB On a sheet of paper, with your group: Summarize your verse. What does the verse discuss? Point out metaphors, personification, prevalent imagery (nature, heaven, morality, human body, and others), etc. What is the message of your verse? What is the “poem” saying? Overall, what is the verse’s message about Buddhism? What could a spiritual person learn from the verse? How does it say one should live his/her life? PREPARE A 3-5 MINUTE ANALYSIS OF YOUR VERSE TO SHARE WITH THE CLASS. SHARE A FEW PASSAGES WITH THE GROUP, INCLUDING PERTINENT IMAGES AND LINES WHICH FURTHER THE VERSE’S MESSAGE. FOUR Yourself Love yourself and watch - Today, tomorrow, always. First establish yourself in the way, Then teach, And so defeat sorrow. To straighten the crooked You must first do a harder thing - Straighten yourself. You are your only master. Who else? Subdue yourself, And discover your master. Willfully you have fed Your own mischief. Soon it will crush you As the diamond crushes stone. By your own folly You will be brought as low As you worst enemy wishes. So the creeper chokes the tree. How hard it is to serve yourself, How easy to lose yourself In mischief and folly. The kashta reed dies when it bears fruit. So the fool, Scorning the teachings of the awakened, Spurning those who follow the dharma, Perishes when his folly flowers. Mischief is yours. Sorrow is yours. But virtue is also yours, And purity. You are the source Of all purity and impurity. No one purifies another. Never neglect your work For another's, However great his need. Your work is to discover your work And then with all your heart To give yourself to it. YOUR JOB On a sheet of paper, with your group: Summarize your verse. What does the verse discuss?
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