We are here
to be baptised
in the soil and clay of this world,

to send our roots
deep into the darkness
of this life,

and, filled with the passion for living,
to raise our branches
towards the sun of transcendence.

The purpose of life
is not to become imprisoned
in the idea of life,
but to live life itself—
like a Zorba who, in his dance,
goes to meet the Buddha.

Aydin Areta