Endless Strings of Marigolds

Gurus, sanghas, kulas
Koshas, yamas, tapas, malas
Shaktipat and weekend empowerments

Sutras, tantras, slokas
Mantras, chakras, siddhis,
Diksha and samadhi trance

Koshas, bandhas, kriyas
Twisted sweating bodies
On purple rubber mats

Temples adorned with
Endless strings
Of marigolds

Saffron clad devotees
Thick with pretense
And aloof spiritual pride

An eternity of chasing
Transcendent ideals
Ever beyond reach

Ten thousand lifetimes of striving
To attain
Luminous space

Native mind
Stuffed with clever assumptions
And glimmering dogmas

Original clarity obscured
By the thick fog
Of dharma

Phony smiles and contrived bliss
Can’t hide the ache
Of knowing your own lie

Failure follows effort
Like a shadow
Wherever it goes

All this…

When completion is inherent
In the way
Things already are.