"There was no being or non-being then
No world, no sky, no beyond
What covered it? Where? Who sheltered it?
Was water there, unfathomably deep?

The mind precedes all states of being
They are ruled by the mind
They are made of the mind
What is laughter, what is joy
When everything is burning?
Enclosed in darkness
Do you not seek a lamp?

Child of son, of daughter
Tombed and wombed in water
Flesh to bind and bound me
Darkness all around me
Neither seen nor seeing
Being and not being
In my world's cessation
Lies my re-creation

Better than a thousand meaningless words
Is a single word that brings peace
Better than a thousand meaningless verses
Is a single verse that brings peace
And if one should recite a hundred verses
All filled with meaningless words
Better is a single word of truth
That brings peace"