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Teaching How to Write Poetry (1)
Practice sessions for composing gathas are designed for those who do not yet know how to write poetry. Each session lasts about one hour, and additional sessions can be organized if needed. The aim is to help anyone, regardless of talent, to be able to create a gatha that is well-formed in structure and complete in meaning. A representative example is the seven-word quatrain gatha (four lines, seven words per line, total of 28 words) by Thay Thich Thong Tang:
- The three baskets enter and exit myriad paths unhindered
- Already illuminating the blue mountains, rosy clouds
- Do not obscure with frost and snow, the branches stretch wide
- Meeting at the edge of the sky, a drop of colorless emptiness
The method consists of the following main steps:
- Cut the sample gatha into “bricks” (each word or phrase) to use as building materials
- Select the name of the person for whom the gatha is composed (Dharma name or ordinary name) and place it in the first two lines for flexible positioning
- Take additional words from the “dictionary” (store consciousness or software) if needed, but prioritize using the existing bricks
- Use association of ideas to connect meanings, combining with the cement of personal reflection to arrange the words into meaningful and rhythmic lines
- Follow the form of the seven-word quatrain: four lines of seven words each, with free rhyme in lines 1, 3, and 5; lines 2, 4, 6, and 7 follow the rules of level and oblique tones
The result is that one can quickly create a gatha with clear structure and meaning, easy to translate between English and Vietnamese, and once proficient, one can go beyond the template to compose more freely.
