I
The Hindu mastered the yoga of self,
the Jew, the holy law communal
The Taoist, the natural way of things,
the Confucian, heaven's way ancestral
The Buddhist illuminated selfish craving,
the Jain, no living thing to bother
The Christian, sacrifice to serve others,
the Muslim, to serve God, The Other
More unnamed, yet more unnamable,
all on paths to truth, decency and delight
All keepers of the summit of other-regarding
self-discipline, the eye on the light so bright
II
No matter who you are, where you dwell,
paths are cleared to living, to dying, well
A path still extant may be your election,
or you can give in to cultural selection
Even follow your own natural bent,
if the mind's clear, the heart's not rent
Just start today with the moment at hand,
even dwelling in a house of fog, of sand
