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Weapons of Earth (3:52)

The Dao gave us earth, water, metal, wood and fire;
The human mind belongs to earth,
Its thoughts produce desire.
Desire goes unsatisfied, a thought of anger grows,
Anger turns to hatred, and people come to blows.

Fist to club and club to sword,
Sword to arrow, arrow to gun,
Bullet to bomb, and bomb to missile.
A thought of hate, in the mind of man.

Adam starts a ruckus, he knocks Simon down;
Weapons of earth: fists and feet, and the war goes on.

Simon swings a club, Adam’s on the ground;
Wooden weapons: clubs and staffs, and the war goes on.

Arrows tipped with flint, swords made of steel;
Metal weapons: pierce through wood, and the war goes on.

Adam pulls a trigger, pierces Simon’s shield;
Fire weapons: guns and cannon, and the war goes on.

Terror made from water, chemistry at war;
Water weapons: atom bombs, and the world stops here.

Children scream, weapons fly;
Elders tremble, widows cry;
Where does all the killing end?
Just a thought, you decide.

Water to fire, fire to metal,
Metal to wood, wood to hand,
Earth is where the trouble ends.
A thought of peace, in the mind of man.

Who can stop the death parade?
Souls who vow to end the fight,
Hands that heal, hands that give,
Hearts that fill with Buddha's light.

Who can stop the death parade?
Heal your mind, end the fight,
Drop the weapons, join your hands,
Fill your heart with Buddha's light.

© Rev. Heng Sure 2005 All Rights Reserved.
Lyrics and music: Rev. Heng Sure

The late Chan Master Hsuan Hua, my spiritual teacher, described the process through which men (rarely women) build weapons to destroy life. Through the ages of human history, progress in weapons technology has cycled through the ancient Chinese Five Elements: earth, wood, metal, fire and water. Fists are earth, clubs are wood, swords are metal, bullets are fire and viruses and atomic weapons are water. One unchecked thought of hatred can set in motion all this death technology. However, the cycle continues. Since water is absorbed by earth and a thought of peace in the human mind also belongs to earth, people can choose not to use weapons and not to war. In the end war and peace are decided in the human mind.