The dhuni

The dhuni        

In the queue snaking to the fire pit's roar,

permanently blackened by sacred ash and soot;

the rhythm of handclaps and the mounting litany

of Baba Hu, the sun descending and a murmured prayer,

everyone clutching their latest, most prominent distractions . . . .

Pilgrim!  Don’t leave the dhuni in Meherabad! 

Carry it with you everywhere you go,

smoldering, heart-hungry for the sandalwood

of your hewn desires as you turn the mind away

continually from its habitual ego-nurturing

and toss the gathered parings

onto the flames of holy remembrance.  O pilgrim!

 

Every thought not about Him or the task at hand

is an encumbering desire – fuel for the fire.

O child of God, do not abandon the dhuni to its extinction,

eight thousand miles away from your heart.