"Monk in a Red Robe" by Zhao Mengfu‘Lasting Karma’: A Poem by Thomas Beckman The Society July 13, 2025 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 4 Comments . Lasting Karma What’s the key to living life that matters? How do we spend this precious time on earth? Listen to the lessons of our fathers —they illustrate the path from birth to death. So fleeting is the beauty of our bodies which amble down a trail from dust to dust, followed by expressions of the mind we immortalize for scholars to discuss. At deeper levels hides our energy found in vital functions like the breath, revealed in heroism when we bravely renounce our precious lives to save the rest. Beneath awareness lies eternal bliss —that soft, undying feeling that persists. . . Thomas Beckman is a physician in Rochester, Minnesota. His poems are published or forthcoming in Annals of Internal Medicine, Gray’s Sporting Journal, Midwest Zen, and Plexus Literary Review. 4 Responses Paul A. Freeman July 15, 2025 A very Jedi piece, opening with questions philosophising on life and giving both a mystical and scientific response to those questions. I particularly liked the lines: ‘So fleeting is the beauty of our bodies / which amble down a trail from dust to dust’. Thanks for the read, Thomas, you’ve got me thinking. Reply Thomas July 16, 2025 Paul, thank you for your insights. Saying this poem has a “Jedi vibe” is high praise! Reply M.D. Skeen July 15, 2025 The final couplet of this contemplative sonnet is very powerful and does a great job weaving the threads together in a kind of final conclusion: Beneath awareness lies eternal bliss —that soft, undying feeling that persists. The poem offers up several contrasting ideas, birth/death, body/mind, sacrifice/reward which suggest the answer to the ultimate human question posed in the first lines. Nicely composed. Reply Thomas July 16, 2025 M.D., thank you for your reflections. I was attempting to incorporate the eastern concept that human experience is comprised of layers (so-called, koshas) ranging from the physical body to mind, energy, intentions, and the bliss-body. I appreciate your comment about the final couplet! Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ
Paul A. Freeman July 15, 2025 A very Jedi piece, opening with questions philosophising on life and giving both a mystical and scientific response to those questions. I particularly liked the lines: ‘So fleeting is the beauty of our bodies / which amble down a trail from dust to dust’. Thanks for the read, Thomas, you’ve got me thinking. Reply
Thomas July 16, 2025 Paul, thank you for your insights. Saying this poem has a “Jedi vibe” is high praise! Reply
M.D. Skeen July 15, 2025 The final couplet of this contemplative sonnet is very powerful and does a great job weaving the threads together in a kind of final conclusion: Beneath awareness lies eternal bliss —that soft, undying feeling that persists. The poem offers up several contrasting ideas, birth/death, body/mind, sacrifice/reward which suggest the answer to the ultimate human question posed in the first lines. Nicely composed. Reply
Thomas July 16, 2025 M.D., thank you for your reflections. I was attempting to incorporate the eastern concept that human experience is comprised of layers (so-called, koshas) ranging from the physical body to mind, energy, intentions, and the bliss-body. I appreciate your comment about the final couplet! Reply