Poson

With cries of “Sadhu!”, with the flavour of the Dhamma
with the splendour of Poson, at Mihintale

The sun rises in order to make light
light is made in order for the flowers to bloom
the flowers bloom in order to worship the Buddha
we worship the Buddha in order to cultivate the Dhamma

We bathe the body in order to put on fresh clothes
we put on fresh clothes in order to go to the temple
we go to the temple in order to worship the Buddha
we worship the Buddha in order to grow loving-kindness

The wind blows in order to bring coolness
coolness comes in order to ease the heat
the heat is eased in order to worship the Buddha
we worship the Buddha in order to grow compassion

The sun sets in order for the full moon to come
the full moon comes in order to drive off the dark
the dark is driven off in order to worship the Buddha
we worship the Buddha in order to grow harmony

This is a Poson song, made for the June full-moon festival that marks the day Buddhism first came to Sri Lanka, when the arahat Mahinda met King Devanampiyatissa at Mihintale. The opening line places us right there, amid cries of “Sadhu,” the scent and “flavour” of the Dhamma, and “the splendour of Poson at Mihintale,” the sacred hill where it all began.

What makes the song special is its structure, a chain where the last word of each line becomes the first idea of the next, so everything links into an unbroken ladder. The sun rises to make light, light makes the flowers bloom, the flowers bloom to worship the Buddha, and worshipping the Buddha cultivates the Dhamma. Every ordinary act of a festival day, bathing, dressing in clean clothes, walking to the temple, is shown flowing naturally toward the same destination: paying homage to the Buddha.

And each verse ends by naming a virtue that the worship is really meant to grow, loving-kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), and finally harmony (samagi). That is the quiet teaching of the song: the rituals are not the point in themselves; they are the path to a kinder, more united heart. Even the cool evening breeze and the rising full moon that lifts the darkness are folded into the same purpose. What the listener is left with is the gentle logic of a devotional day, where all of nature and every small human act lead, step by step, toward the Buddha and toward becoming a better person.