借問眾神明  Buddha Knows

Words and Music by Ashin

 
Encountering bad timing, it can make you uneasy
Life is blown in the wind, my head starts to turn to the sky
You don’t need a million rich legislators schomoozing,
All you need to do to look to those clouds, and every day be in a good mood
La la la, la la la  ask the gods, are our destinies all already decided
La la la, la la la, we all go ask the gods, do all people sometimes succeed
(Do they?  Who knows)

Grandma also has her worries, she burns incense, casts jiao, draws lots at the temple
Smelling the burning incense smoke, is just like her gentle disposition
She says don’t be greedy in the way you treat people, Goodness brings good blessings, good blessings
Children and grandchildren well fed, obediently establishing businesses
La la la, la la la  ask the gods, are our destinies all already decided
La la la, la la la, we all go ask the gods, do all people sometimes succeed

Love between a man and women is like a stoplight, whether it’s allowed to start or stop is all arranged by fate
Is it really that true destiny means there are no choices
Genuinely wasting all these years (she’s been gone)
La la la, la la la  ask the gods, are our destinies all already decided
La la la, la la la  we’ll all go ask the gods, if loving someone means sometimes looking back
La la la, la la la, we all go ask the gods, do all people sometimes succeed Where are all these people going

 

Notes:  A “jiao” is set of fortune-telling sticks made from bamboo or wood; each is curved on one side and straight on the other.  The curved side is the shade or clouds, and the flat side is the sun.  It’s tossed on the ground, and how they land determines one’s fortune: one shade, one sun means good fortune, two suns is ambivalent, and two shades is bad. Burning incense, drawing lots, and casting jiao are all ways of seeking a good fortune at a Buddhist temple.