Ngā Pūrongo

Mena kei te hiahia koe ki te hoko i tētahiwharepaku koura, tēnā koa whakapā mai ki ahau

E ai ki tā Shakespeare: "He koura, he kōwhai, he kanapa, he iti noa te mea ka taea te hanga i te pango kia mā, te kino ki te ataahua, te hē ki te tika, te whakaiti ki te rangatira, te kaumātua ki te taitamariki, te mataku ki te toa..."

Kua noho ko te koura hei wāhanga matua o ngā whakapaipai e mau ana te tangata. Ko te mau i te mowhiti koura, i te hei koura, i ngā whakakai koura, i ngā poroporo koura, kua waiho hei tohu mō te taonga. Kua kite ahau i ētahi wāhine he whakapaipai ki ngā kohatu utu nui. Ko te taumaha o ngā whakapaipai koura me te hiriwa i runga i ō rātou tinana, kotahi, e rua rānei kirokaramu te katoa. Kāore pea i te tino whakamarie, i te ngāwari hoki. E ai ki ngā kupu a Tagore, ki te mea he koura te manu e here ana ki ōna parirau, ka taea tonu e ia te rere ki runga? I te tīmatanga o te rongonui o ngā niho koura, i whakama ētahi tāngata whai rawa ki te kōrero me te kore he niho koura i roto i ō rātou waha, nō reira he tokomaha i unuhia ō rātou niho pai, kātahi ka whakakapia ki ngā niho koura.
I te Pakanga Tuarua o te Ao, he maha ngā tana te taumaha o ngā niho koura o ngā Hūrai i patua i ngā puni kukū Tiamana. I tētahi taha, e whakaatu ana tēnei i te tokomaha o ngā tāngata i patua e ngā Fascist me te nanakia o ā rātou tikanga. I tētahi atu taha, e whakaatu ana hoki ehara i te teka te kīanga kei roto i ngā ringa o ngā Hūrai te taonga o te ao. Ko tētahi atu mahi nui a te koura ko te whakapaipai i ngā temepara. I ngā rā o mua, i te wā e whai mea nui ana ngā tāngata whai rawa hei inoi mō te manaakitanga a Buddha, ka oati rātou ki te "whakahou i te tinana koura i muri i te otinga o te mahi", arā, ki te parai anō i te tinana o Buddha ki te paura koura, ki te whakapaipai rānei ki te pepa koura. Kāore he tangata e kaha ana, e hiahia ana rānei ki te hanga i tētahi Buddha nui ki te koura.