The beginning is the end
By Mark Vetanen

How long ago was it when you entered the temple, eager to learn, eager to please. What where your intentions? What was your goal? How many of you just started? Have you heard that there is no goal? No enlightenment and no Buddha too. Did they tell you karma was a myth and rebirth a story to tell children whom are naughty? Did they whisper to you that "You are Buddha, just as you are."
How long have you been here, attending the temple, sitting on little cushions and drinking tea. Have you ended suffering? Freed all sentient beings? Purified the skandhas? Did you cleans your mind of habitual energy and realize the entire twelve fold chain of causation? How long have you been sitting on your black cushion drinking tea.
Did you parents tell you when you where very young that GOD made you perfect as you are. Did they say that Jesus loves you, even if you are bad or even if you don't believe he does? Did you come to Buddhism to test if GOD and Jesus will punish you for not beleiving? Does that affirm you belief now, that you did not get punished, that GOD and Jesus in fact loves you?
What are you doing sitting on that cushion? Looking for someone? Looking to be nobody? Have you realized your mind totally that you don't need to be challenged, study the words and records of past contemplative? Do you, while sitting on that cushion, just convince yourself that you are Buddha just as you are? Do you wonder if Buddha is really Jesus?
Do you think you can be confused, misguided by desire and greed? Taken over by sensuality and mistake its pleasure as spiritual unfoldments? Is it ever conceivable, that our hard held prejudice that we are Buddha and have no practice to perform, is just an exact example of suffering we are believed we have ended?
Do you chase after silence? Seek out the Roshi to quite the discomforts of yourself? Do they talk the weather at the Temple, where the Dharma is in dusty old books never really opened. Do you celebrate Bodhidharma birthday, Buddhas enlightenment, and teach your children that we are ONE. Do you have feelings about ONENESS that you call experience and place your entire view upon that perception? Could you be mistaken? Is it possible?
Have you really entered Buddhism? Or do you believe you are at the end?