Gathas are Buddhist wisdom statements generally made up of four lines. The word gatha is related to the Sanskrit word for song, verse or poem. They are used not only in Buddhism but also in the Jain and Zoroastrian traditions. Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, has revitalized and popularized gathas in modern form.
Gathas can be read for their insight as well as recited silently as a meditaton practice. Here is one example from Ven. Nhat Hanh titled "Looking At Your Empty Bowl" -
My bowl, empty now,
will soon be filled with precious food.
Beings all over the Earth are struggling to live.
How fortunate we are to have enough to eat.
Another example of a modern Buddhist gatha comes from Zen Master Robert Aitken:
When I hear a mockingbird’s song by my window
I promise to him and to me
to put aside worries of future
and sing for joy to the day.
Gathas are intended to focus the mind and bring attention to the beauty and wonder of ordinary, day-to-day experiences and activities.
Gathas can be read for their insight as well as recited silently as a meditaton practice. Here is one example from Ven. Nhat Hanh titled "Looking At Your Empty Bowl" -
My bowl, empty now,
will soon be filled with precious food.
Beings all over the Earth are struggling to live.
How fortunate we are to have enough to eat.
Another example of a modern Buddhist gatha comes from Zen Master Robert Aitken:
When I hear a mockingbird’s song by my window
I promise to him and to me
to put aside worries of future
and sing for joy to the day.
Gathas are intended to focus the mind and bring attention to the beauty and wonder of ordinary, day-to-day experiences and activities.
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