Conqueror by Jenta

I was introduced to Jenta’s poem, Conqueror, by Pamela Weiss, in a course she taught based on her book, A Bigger Sky.) A Bigger Sky is an invitation to widen our lens of awareness to include the beautiful and influential feminine voices that bring essential depth and meaning to the path of mindfulness and yet have been historically excluded from most Buddhist teachings.

In Conqueror, the Buddhist Nun Jenta illuminates ways that soft and gentle can be strong and enduring. She offers a path for coming fully into ourselves, in a world that can be challenging, while maintaining an open heart. It’s an approach I’ve found to be both powerful and sustainable, and that resides at the heart of OpenSpace Mindfulness. These are just some of the reasons I chose to include an excerpt on my home page. I hope you enjoy

Conqueror by Jenta

I was forever getting lost,

Until one day the Buddha told me:

 

To walk this Path,

you will need seven friends –

mindfulness, curiosity,

courage, joy,

calm, stillness,

and perspective.

 

For many years, these friends and I have

traveled together.

 

Sometimes wandering in circles.

Sometimes taking the long way around.

 

There were days when I thought I couldn’t go on.

There were days when I thought I was finally beaten.

 

It’s scary to give all of yourself to just one thing.

What if you don’t make it?

 

Oh my heart.

You don’t have to go it alone.

 

Train yourself

to train

just

a little

more gently.

(From the book, The First Free Women, Original Poems Inspired by the Early Buddhist Nuns by Matty Weingast)