Shan Culture - Poems

A Dog and A Diamond, A Fool and Wisdom - Jai Si Lond

A dog never knows the value of a diamond,
A fool never knows the value of wisdom,
When you give a diamond ring to a dog, it may say,
“I don’t know what it is,
As the only thing I know and want
Is a piece of bone”
When you give wisdom to a fool, he will say,
“I don’t know what you say,
As all I know and want is
My day by day survival”
So, beware when you are going to give to others,
All a dog needs is a bone,
And all a fool needs is his day by day survival,
If a dog knows a diamond can be sold,
And buys as many bones as it needs,
If a fool knows he can use his wisdom,
And live as long as he wishes to survive,
A dog will know the value of a diamond,
And a fool will know the value of wisdom.

When a question is raised:
“Would it be possible for a dog to know
The value of a diamond,
And a fool to know the value of wisdom?”
The answer is:
“Although a dog will never know the value of a diamond,
It is possible and very possible for a fool to become wise.”
When again we ask the question:
“How come?”
The answer would be:
“Because a dog can never have the talent and intelligence
To taste it, but a fool can, as all human beings have
Intelligence, wisdom and talent given by nature (For Buddhists)
And given by God (For Christians) equally, no more no less,
And when yet again another question is asked:
“Then why are some wise and some foolish?”
The answer would be:
“Because a cloud called “selfishness” blinds their eyes to see
The God within them, as God is Wisdom, God is Intelligence,
God is Love and God is Truth,
So to see God within, or to become wise,
Take the layer upon layer of your “selfishness” off to become “selfless”
And you will find the TRUTH, the WISDOM within, the God within you,
That is why all the religions teach us “not to be selfish”
As the more you become selfless, the more you will see the God within (Christians)
And the more you will find the TRUTH, the WISDOM within (Buddhists)
And the wiser you will become.
Many cannot give up their selfishness,
Because they do not understand the meaning of “Selflessness”,
And they end up seeking the TRUTH by not seeing,
They end up seeking the God within by not seeing Him.

Dear Buddhist friends…
Enlightenment is Freedom, the Freedom of our soul,
The Freedom of our spirit,
The Freedom that all men seek,
To be free of all fears, to be free of all sufferings
And to be enlightened, one of the Buddha’s teaching is,
“To love all beings as equally as you love yourself”
Because to get strength to make you stronger,
In fighting your selfishness and to find the TRUTH.
But if you cannot love all beings except your own people,
How can you gain strength, to fight for your Freedom,
And how can you be enlightened?

Dear Christian friends….
To be enlightened is to be with God,
And one of Jesus’ teachings is, “To love even your enemy”
To be selfless and to find God,
But if you cannot love even your own people,
Not to mention your enemy,
How can you see God?

Remember we are fighting SPDC,
Not because of their race,
Not because of their appearance,
Not because of their personality,
But because we are fighting the Devils within them,
The ideology called “Mahabamar” within them.

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