[Poem] Kwam Yan: A Dharma Discourse

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Ajahn Anan always wants to frame
Five famed precepts of BuddhismIn a way tomorrow’s Lao parentsWill appreciate and happily pass onWithout any more snoring During our daily meditation.
He experiments on occasion in Cali:
The first precept in Pali is the lengthyPÄ�nÄ�tipÄ�tÄ� veramanÄ« sikkhÄ�padam samÄ�diyÄ�mi."Don’t take life." So, most monstersWould not make good monks.Especially a menace who kills gleefully,Offering no justification for their bad manners.The thin road to nibbana is not observed easilyWith a bloody hand, an obscene heart of malice.
AdinnÄ�dÄ�nÄ� veramanÄ« sikkhÄ�padam samÄ�diyÄ�mi.Even in the aftermath of an apocalypse,Such as nations falling into the sea,Or a blight of rampaging zombies,Looting stains one’s karma permanently.It's worse when one's a thief with no emergency."What goes around comes around,Even if it seems like the world’s end."
For precept number three:K�mesumicch�c�ra veramanī sikkh�padam sam�diy�mi.If one is being chased by malevolent jungle predatorsOr lounging leisurely among many lovely alien beauties,Knowing not to engage in improper promiscuityIs a mark of wisdom and aids survivability."This should be clear as a crystal lake."
Mus�v�d� veramanī sikkh�padam sam�diy�mi"Do not lie. Treasure honesty."In our world of shapeshifters,The desperate, despicable despots,And a thousand sneaky phi,Trust can be hard to gain easily.In the old days, if you found yourself on the run,Being known for your kindness and good wordGot you farther than just a sharp sword or a gun.
Observing precept number five can keep you alive.SurÄ�merayamajjapamÄ�datthÄ�nÄ� veramanÄ«sikkhÄ�padam samÄ�diyÄ�mi is admittedlyA long way to say “avoid drunkenness or highs.”
Getting red-faced or stoned invites reckless drama,Increasing your odds of discovering various ways to die,Or breaking other vows you once intended sincerely.Often quite embarrassingly.
"Don't meet your fate clumsily tripping," he advised.Incidentally, he discouraged drinking old snake venom,Rancid bull bits, bear bile or tiger pee. 
"Fear should not be what brings youTo a righteous path," Ajahn insists.There are profound reasons the rules exist.
“Don’t make this sound like a fortune cookie,”He pleads. “If people pay attention properly,You’ll only hear this in one last life.”
He excused himself in timeFor the next prayers for an impermanent world.