Let me say, I love the practice of writing Gathas. They are such a wonderful, succinct spiritual practice, designed to be memorable enough to be reminders in our daily lives. A form of meditative poetry practiced in Buddhism, I first discovered this lovely practice in a book called, “The Dragon Who Never Sleeps” by Robert Aitkin. This little book of modern verses inspired me to begin writing my own Gathas, and write them I have! I have reams of these short poems scattered throughout my journals over the years.
In the Mahayana tradition Gathas follows a certain form. The first line establishes the inspirational event, the second line is the vow, the last two lines reflect our intention and wisdom in regard to the inspirational event. For instance, when I first stopped eating sugar, my journals were filled with Gathas about my favorite treats!
When I am tempted by sugar
I vow with all beings
To savor the sweetness of living
The great gift of rich clarity
When I want to eat all the cookies
I vow with all beings
To peer into the hole I am filling
Walk away and go find a big hug
The possibilities are endless and it is such a playful, gentle way to encourage what we most want for ourselves in our spiritual practice. Used in our daily lives, they can refocus our attention on being mindful of our actions. Write your own Gathas and share them with me~ I would love to read them!
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