MODULE 9

“Western” Buddhism and the shadows of colonialism

This is an acoustic cover of the Heart Sutra by Kanho Yakushiji Kissaquo. There is a also a beautiful video of this song here. You can explore and support the work of this Japanese Zen monk and musician here. You might also enjoy his version of John Lennon’s Imagine.

Acorn

by Bryan Thao Worra

How far from our Bodhi tree
Today we live!

Finding shade among foreign leaves:

Some shaped like hands,
Others, grains of khao
Or sweet watermelon seeds.

Lifting an acorn in our light,
The creative see a tree in the making.
An artist, a forest sees.
But our greatest artists?

They see whole stories, epics
Of love and life, dreams and hope glittering
Like the fine jade sinh

Of a lovely beauty

Meeting her heart's match for the first time
Within the laughing shade of that forest
Alive with the magic

Of a single unpredictable acorn
As amazing as even our distant Bodhi.

Bryan Thao Worra is an award-winning Lao American poet and author of 9+ books of poetry on the Lao American diaspora. He has documented Lao Theravada Buddhist temples in the US for over 15 years. His newest book American Laodyssey is forthcoming from Sahtu Press in Spring 2024. You can read more about him here. Also, in a blog post he has included 25 poems which show the influence of Buddhism in his work.