Gilgamesh
awaited the companion of his heart. May our waiting be joyful and our longing
fulfilled as the sisters and brothers of our past accompany us into our future.
Go in peace.
|
If
you see a dragon on your way home, do not slay it. Ask the dragon to share his
warmth with you.
If
you meet a monster in your travels, do not fight it. Ask the monster to teach
you strength and courage.
If
you see a pirate’s treasure hidden beneath a stone, do not steal it. Find the
pirate and ask him to learn generosity with you.
And
if you see a friend by the side of the road, do not ignore her. Share warmth
and courage and generosity with her, even if your friend looks like a stranger. |
Suffering
is a part of us, as human as the caress of a beloved’s hand on our face or
the squeeze of a baby’s tiny fingers. Grief
calls us out of what we know, rattles
the ground of our existence and
shifts the landscape to
something we no longer recognize. But
surely the death which sparks it is
nothing more than
the touch of the infinite reaching into the finite, an
inbreaking of the inevitable into
our world of the possible. So
let a world-encompassing love sustain us until
we are inevitably taken with grief, and
let a cleansing grief sustain us until
we are once again ready to be encompassed by a world of love. Peace
in your going, and in your return. |
We
travel in search of heroic adventures or wild amusements or simple diversions,
but the truth of our lives is in the day-to-day, if we will but see it. The joy
with which we approach our work, the love we give to those gathered around us,
the gentleness with which we behold children – these are truly the measures of
our lives, simple, ephemeral and beautiful. Go in peace. |
Stream
meanders into river. River
rushes into sea. Sea
melds seamlessly with ocean.
Each
element is perfect on its own and
yet only complete when it meets the other.
May
the waters guide us to our singular perfections and
our completeness in community. |
If
flood pulls you under the water, If fire burns you into ash, If the ground
opens beneath your feet
Or mountains crumble around your head, Know always
That water gives life, And fire opens
paths for new growth, That earthquakes destroy what
lacked stability And
falling rocks create new sculptures on the horizon.
Here we have an ending. We will find a new beginning When
we gather together again. |
When
hard times come and like Abram you must walk through Egypt, remember to hold to
what you know. Do not give up what is most dear to you out of fear, and do not
forget your ideals for the lure of material gain. For in the end, when the hard
times pass and you walk once more out of Egypt, it is the touch of your loved
one and the vision of your ideals that will remain precious to you. Go in
peace. |
Our
dreams may call us to greatness, or
to simplicity; to
service, or
to silence.
Whatever
dreams you dream this night, may
they call you live the truth inside you and
to love the world around you.
And
may our dreams of community be remembered when
it is time for us to gather again. |
This is a tale of two brothers, one a robust man of the fields,
the other quiet and clever. One working hard at the appointed
task, the other succeeding through trickery. And yet it is the trickster who fears,
knowing his brother has just cause to hate. But the one who was deceived, he
comes with open arms and meets his brother with cries
of joy.
Who are you, and who do you want
to be? The successful trickster who lives
in fear, or the one who experiences
betrayal and yet forgives? Who are you, Jacob or Esau? Who do you want to be? |
The house of the Lord is not
a temple or a shrine, not
a mosque or church, not
a synagogue or gurdwara. It is the place where a kind
word is spoken, where
a sorrow is consoled, where justice is spread wide and
compassion is open as the skies. It is where we seek our
highest ideals and
give our deepest loves.
The house of the divine is where we are most human.
May each of our houses become
a house of the Lord. |
We have all felt the
judgment; Let us all know the hope. We have all fallen under the
weight of our own cares; Let us all arise with
renewed courage. We have all come together to
hear prophetic words; Let us all leave with the
knowledge of love and acceptance wound tightly into our hearts. |
Much of life is difficult,
but the prophet Micah reminds us that the instructions for being in harmony
with God are very simple: do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our
God.
So let the work of justice
be ever at hand in the days to come, and let kind words fill our heads and
hearts so that they will also fill our speech and actions. As we walk beyond
these doors, let us remember our connection to each other, to our world, and to
this amazing universe of which we are a part.
And let us remember that connection
each amazing day of our lives. |
The prophet’s path is not an easy one. Too often
reviled for speaking truth to power and power to the powerless, still the
prophet continues in the ways of righteousness. She holds up the banner of
justice, and asks each of us to measure ourselves against it.
As you move beyond these walls and into your days, let
your life become this banner, so that others may look to you for the measure of
justice, and goodness, and truth.
Go in peace. |
|
Our
Muslim brothers and sisters proclaim, “There is no god but Allah.” Our
Christian brothers and sisters proclaim, “No one is good but God alone.” Our
Jewish brothers and sisters proclaim, “The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”
May
we proclaim the truth that we see, the divine that we experience, and the compassion
that we learn. |
In
a world full of rhythms, we
watch the rising and setting of the sun, the
waxing and waning of the moon.
In
a world full of movement, we
see the rise and fall of nations, the
dawning and passing of each life.
In
a world full of noise, we
hear the words of prophets and sages, and
the whispers within our own souls.
Nature,
history, revelation: the signs are everywhere. In
all that we see and do, may we discover the presence of mystery and the call to
goodness. |
If every twig and branch of
every tree in every forest throughout the
wide, wide world were carved into
pens,
And every drop of water in
every river and sea and all the wild,
wild oceans were dyed into
ink,
And if all of these pens filled
with all of this ink were used to
write down
All of the visions and declarations of holiness that
the world has ever known
Still it would not suffice to
tell of all the holiness that the divine
has inscribed into the world. |
May
the value of virtue accompany you this day. May
a commitment to compassion mark your actions. May
a steadfastness of spirit be the sign of your presence. And
may the holy hold you virtuously, steadfastly and compassionately in arms of
love. |
Go
and punch a hole in the boatload of your possessions today, so that you may
keep what is truly of value. Build up walls for someone who does not deserve
it, so that the treasure of truth may spring forth in the fullness of time. Be
guided by reason, but do not be blindered by it, for no person’s reason
encompasses the whole of what is and what can be. These
are the prophetic words that are spoken to us this day; may our ears and hearts
be open to them. |
|
“You
were never born,” says Krishna, “you will never die.” But
still, you must choose to live. Let
devotion, not despair, be your guide. Let
engagement, not indifference, be your action. Choose
to live in devotion to your truth and engagement with your cause until
we choose to come together again.
OM
shanti shanti shanti |
If
today you let joy rather than pleasure be your guide; if
you let a service rendered with no thought of return take precedence over one
where payment is demanded; if
you let the holy act within and through you; if you make even the tiniest difference in the
life of even the tiniest being; if
you go to your rest satisfied that you have done these things, then may you rise again tomorrow and do them
once again.
OM
shanti shanti shanti |
May
knowledge of your infinite Self and its infinite union with the infinite,
unending, Ultimate Reality guide you in times of fullness and sustain you in
times of trial. Blessings on your footsteps as they carry you down your path.
OM
shanti shanti shanti |
Every
ending, we are told, is but an illusion, for what is real is beyond end and
beyond beginning. Our worship, in all its limited, brilliant, mortal beauty
comes to an end here, but our love, without end and without beginning, abides
forever.
As
it comes from within each of us, may each of us strive to live this love for
others in the days to come. As it comes from beyond each of us, may each of us
feel held in the warmth of this love in the days to come.
OM
shanti shanti shanti |
Let
your footsteps fall lightly today, knowing that the ground you walk on is holy. Let
your touch fall gently today, knowing that the friend or stranger you touch is
holy. Let
your eyes rest peacefully in the mirror today, knowing that the being you see
is holy.
OM
shanti shanti shanti |
Go in peace. Go in wisdom. Go in knowledge of the Self. Go in fullness of the
divine. Go in mindfulness of our
connection. Go in understanding that all
of these are One.
OM shanti shanti shanti
|
If you wish to find Brahman,
you must search the scriptures. If you wish to understand
scriptures, you must seek a teacher. If you wish to find a
teacher, you must look for wisdom. If you wish to encounter
wisdom, you must recognize truth. If you wish to perceive
truth, you must look within yourself.
And there you will find
Brahman.
OM shanti shanti shanti |
You are a part of the
limitless whole, the creation and the
destruction, the death and the rebirth. You are a creature come
straight from the divine, with the divine ability to
dream a new thing into being.
Go now into the world
created for us, the world that we continue to create with our actions. And as you go, dream wisely.
OM shanti shanti shanti |
Scripture tells us that OM
is the sound that created the universe, the sound that reverberates in the
heartbeat of every human.
What, I wonder, is the sound
that creates your world? The silence of a sunrise? The laughter of a child? A
strain of music, the words of a poem, the whisper of a loved one?
Whatever it may be, may you
listen today to the sound of your world being created anew and know it as the
sound of Spirit.
OM shanti shanti shanti |
This world of lies and truth
destroys us with its cares yet binds us with its golden threads So
hard it is to step without – so hard it is to remain within Those we love and hate
ensnare us with the joy and pain of their tempestuous presence So
hard it is to hold them close – so hard it is to leave them behind The peace beyond tumult and
care, beyond exhaustion and pleasure, beyond torment and desire It
waits quietly for our arrival
On that day, we understand the
world of lies and truth as a dream On that day, we accept those we love and hate in the
truth of their being On that day, we leave suffering
behind forevermore |
Conquer your cravings, Dig up your compulsive urges, Set yourself free from
selfish desires. How to accomplish these
lofty goals? One day, one moment, one
thought at a time. |
May
joy walk with you as you leave this place; May
your footsteps fall on the ground of compassion; May
your gaze rest on a horizon of hope; May
a cloud of prayers swirl around you, And
the touch of the divine rest upon you.
And
in the touch of your own hand on another’s face or arm or life this day May
the other find joy, and compassion, and hope, and a cloud of prayers. |
What wisdom you gained here
today, let it add to the wisdom of your mind. What happiness you gained
here today, let it add to the happiness of your heart. What health you gained here
today, let it add to the health of your spiritual life.
For the wisdom of your mind
allows you to see the world with truth, the
happiness of your heart tells you to fill the world with love, and the health of your
spiritual life gives you strength to mold the world with compassion. |
The
Buddha calls us to extinguish all desires. If we cannot extinguish them all,
may we extinguish one desire that brings us grief.
The
Buddha calls us to compassion for all beings. If we cannot find compassion for
all, may we feel compassion for one being more than yesterday.
The
Buddha calls us to recognize the Ultimate Truth. If we cannot see to the heart
of this Truth, may we recognize the smaller truths of love and kindness that
are woven through our days.
Let
us be where we are, go where we must, and travel our chosen paths in peace. |
May
you find the rare treasure you seek, but may your eyes not be so blinded by
treasure that you cannot see truth.
May
you experience comfort on the way, but may your arms not be so laden with comfort
that you cannot lift a hand to help others.
With
eyes of truth and hands of service, go now into the world. |
With
the form you have taken, go out into the world.
With
the emptiness that lies within it, go deep into the mystery.
Within
the many lines and threads that come together to form who you are, find the
lines and threads that lead to truth.
Within
the truth that encompasses all, find the compassion to share it with others.
|
May your doing arise from understanding,
not struggle. May your not doing arise from acceptance,
not ignorance. May you have the vision of simplicity in
the midst of complication. May you move through difficulty as water
passes through a sieve. In all things, in all ways, may harmony
guide your hand, heart and mind. |
Virtue
in our lives and respect in our interactions; contentment in our hearts and
peace in our cities. It is we who bring these into the world, we who choose in
every moment whether to stake out our demands or flow into harmony, whether to
flutter after pleasure or turn our hands to peace. May our thoughts be wise,
our actions pure and our hearts content as we make our choices each day. |
Go
out in the midst of the ten thousand things, but remember the unity that is
their source, and yours. May tranquility guide your steps until they return to
this place. |
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