I've been working on a long poem in progress
for a number of years called "Mountains and Rivers
Without End," this is my latest report on where I'm at with it.
And this is quite an interesting direction for me.
This long poem which as I say is part
of a large work in progress of which one portion has
been published in book form, it's called "The Blue Sky."
A little bit of background, Buddhist mythology
as most of you know besides the historical Buddha,
Gotama there are a number of mythological Buddhas
in the Hindu cosmology.
One of the vagus figures is called
Bhaisayja-Guru in Sanskrit, which
means the medicine master.
There is one suitor for by Bhaisayja-Guru,
he's usually represented seated cross-legged
like any other Buddha, but in his hand in one hand
he holds a medicine jar.
There was quite a cult for this Buddha, a popular cult
in China in the early Tang dynasty
and also about the same period in Japan,
a messianic cult actually, because his Sutra lists
the vows that he made eons ago.
The vows that he made eons ago were
that he would cure all beings of suffering,
that he would cure all poverty, and that he
would find a medicine to cure the ignorance of all beings.
And that's why he's represented with this little medicine jar.
His land is to the East, very far away
and one of his names translated in English
means the Azure Radiance Buddha.
During the period of his popularity in Japan
a great many cures were attributed to him.
So the Blue Sky.
This point and all of this Mountains and Rivers
Without End as I gradually begin to realize it's
a part of probably insane triangulation
I'm attempting between the Chinese Buddhism, Tibetan
Adriana, and American Indian shamanism.
Eastward from here beyond Buddha worlds,
ten times as numerous as the sands of the Ganges
there is a world called pure as lapis lazuli.
Its Buddha is called Master of Healing Azure Radiance
Tathagata--
that's a quote from the Sutra.
It would take you 12,000 summer vacations driving a car due
east all day every day to reach the edge of the lapis lazuli
realm of medicine old man Buddha.
East, old man realm.
East across the sea yellow sand land.
Coyote old man land silver and stone blue.
Blue, blau, bright.
[? Flaus ?] flamen, brahman.
Sky, ski, school, shadow.
Sanskrit skuy, toss, covered.
Skewed, pied.
Skew balled, stew ball.
Skybald, piebald, horse with lightning feet
a mane like distant rain the turquoise horse,
a black star for an eye, white shell teeth, pony
that feeds on the pollen of flowers may he make thee whole.
Heal, hail, whole.
[? Kazahs ?], Kyle, coil.
Namo bhagavate bhaishajyaguru- vaidurya-
prabharajaya tathagata arhate samyak sambuddhaya tadyatha om
bhaishajye bhaishajye bhaishajya samudgate svāhā.
I honor the Lord, the master of healing,
shining like lapis lazuli the King, the Tathagata, the Saint,
the perfectly enlightened one saying, ohm to the healing,
to the healing, to the healer, hail.
Svāhā.
Shades of blue through the day
T'u chüeh.
Türc.
Turquoise.
Comes from the Chinese word "t'u chüeh."