SEEDS OF ENLIGHTENED SOCIETY: Virtues to Nourish

These poems describe some virtues found in today's societies which, if widely spread, become hallmarks of enlightened societies. The form is a five-line poem derived from Japanese poetry. It is not typical of poems here but introduces some enlightened society characteristics.

This volume is in eight parts. Each part contains poetry expressive of a facet of enlightened society brought about by virtues present in today's society. These virtues must be strengthened and become widely spread in order to achieve a universal enlightened society.

Parts I & II talk about the Shambhala Principle or basic goodness. Basic goodness forms the primordial core of humanity's existence. It manifests as virtues of loving-kindness, generosity, friendliness, etc., characteristic of enlightened society.

Part III is Enlightened Society poems that seek to express the feeling of living in enlightened society. This is especially true of the Shambhala Household (revised).

Part IV is a series of nine short poems which describe virtues inherent in basic goodness.

Part V describes some characteristics of enlightened corporations. Some of the obstacles which Shambhala warriors must overcome in the quest for enlightened society and some of the heroes of that quest are described in Part VI.

Foremost among obstacles are greed, hatred, arrogance, and envy. Part VII lists some of the departures from the Path to enlightenment that advanced practitioners are prone to.

The main obstacle to enlightened society is that humanity has not reached a consensus on the fact that it is basically good. We must believe that we are all worthy individuals and live in accordance with this.