Poem ‘Buddha and Mahavira’ by Lyndal Vercoe

Buddha and Mahavira:
two princes seeking the essential Self
discarded kingdoms, wives and children
even wealth: became reflective, solitary. They
both rejected sacrifices and parades of piety
as methods of discovering the Deity.
Each searched within
to find the all-pervading Self

Kindness and pity for their fellow man
inspired them to share
their path to truth.
Imagine their dismay to see now
all their loving plans distorted:
simple truths contorted to religious rites;
even idols, manufactured in their likeness -
tools for oppression -
in the hands of priests.

Imagine Socrates or Lao Tse, consoling them, might say:
"It was the same for us. But what you did was quite correct.
The human ego always was so tough.
See how steam-power added madness
to their lust for speed.
Their minds have run amok;
they love to name and claim things as their own.
Even the stars, once viewed with awe
can excite avarice today in men.

You did the best you could," says Socrates.
"No-one can find the words in any tongue
to perfectly convey what we all know as 'One'
that which I called the 'Self'
which Lao Tse in his time has called the 'Tao - Mother of us all'
and Moses called - the name unspeakable - 'Yahweh'
Which Buddha tried not to give any name; Mahavira also did the same.

It makes no difference to the human race. But soon
enough of them will see the vein of gold
which ran through all our lives.
When that day comes they'll finally evolve."