"The Six Elements Speak"
artist's book inspired by Sangharakshita's poem,
2020
Poem by Buddhist Teacher Sangharakshita conveys the essence of one of the most fundamental Buddhist practices – The Contemplation of The Six Element. This practice is a profound contemplation on interconnectedness, impermanence, and insubstantiality.
The Six Element Practice is a path of deepening insights. In the early stages it offers a vision of interconnectedness. You are connected to nature, to everyone and everything, as everything is made up of the elements, and they are in a process of constant interchange. Next comes deep acceptance of the reality of death, recognizing that one day the elements will be given back. As you explore deeper still, you come to the realization of non-self. What you thought of as you is actually just the six elements, nothing more, with nothing fixed or unchanging standing behind them, with no core to them. In that sense, there is no-one to die. But then there is a further much more fulfilling realization to be had if, seeing that the mundane personality is just the impermanent, selfless combination of the six elements, you give up identifying with it and relax into non-dual awareness.
I am Earth.
I am Earth.
I am rock, metal, and soil.
I am that which exists in you
As bone, muscle, and flesh,
But now I must go,
Leaving you light.
Now we must part.
Goodbye.
I am Water.
I am Water.
I am ocean, lake, rivers and streams,
The rain that falls from clouds
And the dew on the petals of flowers.
I am that which exists in you
As blood, urine, sweat, saliva and tears,
But now I must go,
Leaving you dry.
Now we must part.
Goodbye.
I am Fire.
I am Fire.
I come from the Sun, travelling through space
To sleep in wood, flint, and steel.
I am that which exists in you
As bodily heat, the warmth of an embrace,
But now I must go,
Leaving you cold.
Now we must part.
Goodbye.
I am Air.
I am Air.
I am wind, breeze, and hurricane.
I am that which exists in you
As the breath in your nostrils, in your lungs,
The breath that gently comes, that gently goes,
But now I must go,
For the last time,
Leaving you empty.
Now we must part.
Goodbye.
I am Space.
I am Space.
I contain all,
From a grain of dust to a galaxy.
I am that which exists in you
As the space limited by the earth, water, fire, and air
That make up your physical being,
But now they have all gone
And I must go too,
Leaving you unlimited.
Now we must part.
Goodbye.
I am Consciousness.
I am Consciousness.
Indefinable and indescribable.
I am that which exists in you
As sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch and thought,
But now I must go
From the space no longer limited by your physical being
Leaving nothing of 'you'.
There is no one from whom to part,
So no goodbye.
Earth dissolves into Water,
Water dissolves into Fire,
Fire dissolves into Air,
Air dissolves into Space,
Space dissolves into Consciousness,
Consciousness dissolves into - ?
HUM
