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Step by painful step
I climb Sorrow Mountain,
iron bar chafing my ankles,
starvation one long pain.
My captors are cruel;
when they beat me, I pray
that my suffering will liberate
my people, and my country.
In isolation, my mind
seeks its peace in
memories of the past,
in one hundred thousand prostrations
in the darkness of my cell.
Will my soul achieve forgiveness
for the oppressors of my people?
The Dalai Lama's face before me,
eyes wise and kind.
If I do not die, I will continue to climb:
my duty to my people, clear,
my beliefs holding firm.
Step by painful step,
I climb Sorrow Mountain,
watering its rocky path
with brave and loving tears.
May my suffering
be for the benefit
of all sentient beings.
May my pain
help to liberate
my people and Tibet.
I am reading Sorrow Mountain by Ani Pachen and Adelaide Donnelley, the story of a warrior nun who suffered greatly and courageously during the invasion of Tibet. She survived years of imprisonment to finally reach Dharamsala, and the Dali Lama.
Reading about the cruelty of oppressors, I reflect upon how many places in the world - including North America - where people are made to suffer greatly simply for being who they are.
Sounds like a painful book to read, Sherry. But this really sounds like your kind of book.
ReplyDeleteSmiles. It is indeed. I love true stories of people transcending extreme circumstances with courage and grace. They make me cry, man's inhumanity to man breaks my heart. But it shows what the human heart and mind is capable of, even under extreme circumstances - when we dont lose our own humanity.
ReplyDeletethat we need words like "endure" is telling enough, isn't it? ~
ReplyDelete