Yashodara

Prince Siddhartha had a wife;
He loved her like he loved life.
She was fine, and she was fair,
And when he said goodbye, he said to her.

Yashodhara, look at where life leads;
Yashodhara, I’m going to try to get free.

I took a little trip into town,
I learned that death will cut us down,
I woke up by the city wall,
Freedom to die is no freedom at all.

Yashodhara, look at where life leads;
Yashodhara, I’m going to try to get free.

Like you, I never heard an old man sigh, I never knew that people die;
Like you, I never heard a sick man moan, I learned this body ain’t my home.

Yashodhara, death is haunting me;
Yashodhara, love won’t set us free.

Then I saw another man,
Who walked in robes with bowl in hand.
His gaze looked neither left nor right;
His brow was clear, his eyes were bright.
I asked him what he did all day,
He said, “I cultivate the Way.
I watch my mind, I watch my breath.
And in the end, it’s life and death.”

Yashodhara, I couldn’t love you more;
Yashodhara, that’s why I’m walking out that door.

Some will say that I’m a fool,
Some will say that I’m too cruel.
This is the best thing I can do,
When I get free, I’ll come back for you.

Yashodhara, look at where life leads;
Yashodhara, I’m going to try to get free.

This reflection by Reverend Heng Sure is from Paramita–American Buddhist Folk Music.