Of the many Buddhas I’ve seen
In Thailand
Malaysia
China
Japan
Though, not the laughing Buddha
The plump one
In the midst of
A rollicking guffaw
No, not that Buddha
Rather, the somber, reflective one
The one it seems
The weight of the world
Rests lightly
On his androgynous shoulders
The one it seems
All the troubles of the world
Pass through his heart
And find their way
To an expression of
Insight
In the deep mystery
Of the eyes
Peace
In the restfulness
Of the face
Serenity
In the contentment
Of the smile
It is not
An expression of happiness
But rather of being
At one with the universe
And completely at ease
With his state of existence
Right now
And in any future moment
Of course
She is an ashram student
Participating in the ashram’s aarti ceremony
Which is doubling as a graduation ceremony
For her yoga instructor class
She’s striking her third or fourth pose
For the selfie
She’ll post on Facebook
For her friends back home
And yet…
None of this diminishes
The peaceful, insightful serenity
In this very moment
A moment of divinity
Captured, perhaps, by two cameras
In this moment
I am her student
Ganga Aarti Ceremony
Parmarth Niketan Ashram
Rishikesh
Uttarakhand, India
Taken during travels, 2017