You may print copies of this work for free distribution. You may re-format and redistribute this work for use on computers and computer networks, provided that you charge no fees for its distribution or use. Otherwise, all rights reserved. Due to the limitations of HTML in rendering free-verse, this HTML edition lacks the clarity and crispness of the original print version. The reference to Mv is to chapter, section, and sub-section.
All translations are the author's own.
Part II, The Essay, is a chance to make friends with the natives, soak up the local atmosphere, and gain your own insights. People in the West, even committed Buddhists, are often remarkably ignorant of the Buddha's original teachings as presented in the early texts. Much of what they know has been filtered for them, at second or third hand, without their realizing what was added or lost in the filtration. Once the teachings have context, you can have a surer sense of what is true Buddha Dhamma and what are filtration products. This book has been many years in preparation.