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Light on the Path  Introduction:
We take up the Mindfulness Trainings because in our moments of Awareness we know that we will forget... and in our frequent states of forgetfulness we need light on our path... we search out many sources and they are all true, deep, and good: Yeshua has stories and counsel, Rumi has poetry for the mid-night soul, Dorothy has a strong hand and a potato-peeler to share... Thich Nhat Hahn, our brother, suffered war and exile and the blessedness of return and teachings of peace. From the once-napalmed forests, fields, and villages of Vietnam (napalmed by American planes and chemicals), came the liberating insight that we are all One, that with this precious Planet, we all exist in the steady state of "inter-being"... With the deep breath provided by sabbatical time, we are able to take a look at the Trainings and offer a few insights -- and an updating of the wording of the Trainings -- as a sort of "introductory course" in intentional community for the "mystic-activists" who will lead in the transformation of our culture, politics, economies, and religions, into the Way of Beauty and Kindness... If you are new to these pages, please review the previous entries for the "Light on the Path"; especially give attention to the section entitled "Opening Meditation". Begin every reading of these pages with an attentive focus on this meditation (copy it for we won't be including it in the following pages). Begin with the "Opening Meditation" followed by the "Three Refuges"... centered and focused in your sacred heart, let the gentle flow of your breath embrace these next few moments as we together shine a little light upon the path... "In the Name of the Holy One, Boundlessly Compassionate... Boundlessly Merciful... Beauty within Beauty within Beauty..." Fifth Mindfulness Training: Aware that happiness is rooted in gratitude, service, and compassion, and not in the pursuit or exercise of power, we are determined to practice simplicity of life, thought, and motivation. Reflection: We suppose, if there were to be only one mindfulness training, if there were to be only a thirty word summary of the Sermon on the Mount or a thirty word biography of Mahatma Gandhi or St. Francis, these thirty words of the fifth mindfulness training would suffice. Happiness is what every human being craves, and here in this training, the means to that end are articulated -- as well as the "tripping point" on our life-journey's: the pursuit or exercise of power... and then there is power's antidote... When we find ourselves covered in the mud of our power-tripping, we have the option of soaking in the hot tub of simplicity of life, thought, and motivation... and then getting back on track... One need only briefly (very briefly) consider the plight of Mitt Romney -- his every word, his body language and facial expressions, everything about the man exudes a pronounced hunger for power. Unfortunately for us, he has convinced himself that his pursuit of power is a "public service" -- and not a "filler" for the emptiness of his heart...(but this is generally true for every political actor)... here, though, is another "but": but this is also true for every human being! The myth of power is that it can fill the emptiness of the human heart. And so on every level, we all follow the seductive gaze of power into the back-alleys of our minds and relationships -- this "following" has become entenched as the "dominator paradigm" which reveals its ugly face in predatory capitalism, fanatical religious fundamentalism, the justification of violence, the oppression of women and minorities, and the willful disregard and destruction of this precious blue Planet. To write these thoughts down is, in a clear way, to present power as "something out there" and only marginally "in here" -- in our own heads, hearts, and lives. When we wrote "we all follow the seductive gaze of power..." we understood that the dominator paradigm is built directly upon our habitual thought patterns, ways of communicating in our families and work-places, and in our networks of relationships. The dominator paradigm exists because we feed it! We don't just toss it the bones from our plates or the dregs from our cups, but we give it entire harvests and the very best vintage -- year in and year out! Absolutely everytime that we are disrespectful to our partner, that we yell at our children, that we curse a lousy driver, that we marginalize and abuse a fellow worker, that we hunker down into smaller and smaller lives and circles of interests, we are feeding the dominator paradigm. This goes on and on and deeper and deeper, until it becomes our unspoken and unwritten self-definitions: we are not perfectly delightful images of the Holy One! We come to fear-believe that we are best defined as "sinners". We come to fear-believe that we are fundamentally worthless -- and that any "worth" that we might have only comes to us from outside of ourselves. We come, sooner or later, to the end of the human person: we know ourselves to be radically and truly unloveable. And that horrible knowing is the source of the emptiness that invades our hearts and gives power to the dominator paradigm. This fifth mindfulness training is intended to alter "reality" by lightening our loads! "We are determined to practice simplicity of life, thought, and motivation." Okay! So we clear the deck of our minds and hearts and relationships! Let's get really radical and speak absolute truth (repeat after us): "I was created by Love, for Love, to become Love" (Simone Weil). "I am worth the very best -- always." "I am beautiful, right now, just as I am." "I can, and will, change my mind." "I will think and speak positively and constructively." "I will become an agent of transformation in my family, in my workplace, in my community, and in the world." "I am the one that I have been waiting for." "I will change the course of human history." To truly live as a human being is to consciously choose a place to stand... this fifth mindfulness training suggests just such a place... Listen to this story... "Yeshua was walking with his friends by the lakeside, enjoying the gentle breeze and the blue of the water. The pathway eventually veered away from the lake and up a hill-side. Up ahead, there was seen to be a dead vulture lying directly upon the path -- they would have to step over it -- someone muttered that it was a bad sign. The steps of Yeshua, though, did not hesitate. He walked up to the dead body of the old vulture and stopped to gaze upon it. Some steps later, he asked if any of them had ever seen a vulture consuming another vulture? Coming to think about it, none of them had. Yeshua, remarked he wished people could be so judicious... and that was why his heart embraced the lives of the poor..." And this story, too: We think of Frances, a homeless woman, someone who has spent years on the margins of our society. Her journey has carried her through the harsh realities of drug addiction, of losing her children, and of losing her way. Yet, she always came back to the Kitchen. As the seasons of her life changed, she found her place in our shelter. She found the beginnings of purpose in volunteering. She found meaning in facilitating a regular NA meeting... What was it that we could see in her through the many years? What is it that we strive to see in every person who somehow gets lost and finds her / his way here? What is it that keeps us going back for more and more? The answer is in the seeing. First, there is the living light that swirls around us, everyone, and everything. It's very brightness becomes a veil... yet, they are, each and all, transparent; their true reality or nature is desperately seeking ways for breaking through. In the end, we are tasked with assisting in the co-creation of reality through seeing the truth of what has always been there. By affirming the beauty of the person before us, we assist in activating her / his possibilities. The way of service for nonviolence and justice blesses us everyday with opportunities to help Frances name her reality: Who is special? "I am special!" Who does God love? "Me!" Who do you love? "Me!" Who else do you love? "You!" And what are you worth? "The very best! I am worth Love!" An Alternative Fifth Mindfulness Training: Aware of the common human desire for happiness, safety, health, and the sure knowing of being "wanted", I will exercise my will and energy in humble service of this common good. Question of the Week: How can we encourage people to commit to lifestyles that promote equality and the common good? Practice for the Week: Search the internet for "Get Money Out". Sign the petition for a constitutional amendment to get money out of politics and to re-define corporations as "NOT" people. Spread the word! To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that Love is the reason for my existence, for God is Love. Love is my true character. Love is my name. --Thomas Merton I love, therefore being is, and life is worth the pain of having lived. --Emmanuel Mounier Years ago I recognized my kinship with all living things, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; while there is a criminal element, I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I am not free. -- Eugene V. Debs Love is an action, never simply a feeling. -- bell hooks Walk the streets with us into history. Get off the sidewalk. -- Dolores Huerta With love and End of the Year Blessings, Michelle and Robert "In the Name of the Holy One... Boundlessly Compassionate... Boundlessly Merciful... Beauty within Beauty within Beauty..." Light on the Path  Opening Meditation
We begin: In the Name of the Holy One, Boundlessly Compassionate, Boundlessly Merciful... Beauty within Beauty within Beauty... The Holy One speaks: "Come to me my Beloved, my Love, dearest one of my Heart. Come to me..." We rest in the words, at-one with both the whirl of atoms and the spin of galaxies... everything has it's being within this Call, "Come to me, my Beloved"... This Sacred Mystery expands and deepens as the Call of the One, becomes the Call for the Many... The Holy One speaks: "Come to me my Beloved... and bring All the Others with you. Leave no one behind, for I would abandon no One -- and so you must bring everyone with you." The whirl of atoms and the spin of galaxies become as a soup-ladle, lifted and poured out upon the Bread that is your Body, to likewise be lifted and given to the world, given to those who hunger for justice and who thirst for hope... everyone will find their safety, their health, and a joyous homecoming for their heart, lifted up by the wings of the Holy One, "Come to me, my Beloved... everyone is Wanted..." Centered within this Holy Secret, relaxing into the pregnancy of breath, we breathe in "I love You" and we exhale "I thank You". We let that awareness deepen and expand to include our loved ones, our communities and regions, all living beings and all inanimate things, until our awareness has included this entire precious Planet. We let that awareness then receive the terrible weight of all suffering within our lives, within our loved ones, our communities, regions, all living beings and all inanimate things, until our awareness has included all suffering on this precious Planet. We breathe in "I love You" and we exhale "I bless You"... we breathe in "I love You" and we exhale "I will remember You"... we breathe in "I love You" and we exhale "I will give You reason to hope"... We recite the Three Refuges: I take refuge in the Holy One. I take refuge in Love. I take refuge in Service for Peace and Justice. Introduction: We take up the Mindfulness Trainings because in our moments of Awareness we know that we will forget... and in our frequent states of forgetfulness we need light on our path... we search out many sources and they are all true, deep, and good: Yeshua has stories and counsel, Rumi has poetry for the mid-night soul, Dorothy has a strong hand and a potato-peeler to share... Thich Nhat Hahn, our brother, suffered war and exile and the blessedness of return and teachings of peace -- from the once-napalmed forests, fields, and villages of Vietnam (napalmed by American planes and chemicals), came the liberating insight that we are all One, that with this precious Planet, we all exist in the steady state of "inter-being"... Mindfulness Training Four: Aware that looking deeply in the nature of suffering can help us nurture compassion and discover the Way of Love in our present circumstances, we are committed to a personal identification with those who suffer so we can understand their stories and situations deeply, and help them transform their suffering into hope and peace. Reflection: Week four of a profoundly personal / spiritual project together gives us pause: we are no different from anyone else! Life is a maelstrom of passion and conflict, of questions and darkness -- and, thanks be to the Holy One, at the very same time an oasis of possibilities and quest, of dreams and self-effacing courage...We pause to reflect upon our own journey's: many, too many, years separate... then our discovery of the Other and our coming together... our first kiss (which rocked the Universe to it's Higgs boson particles)... our wedding, our twin sons, and then our daughter... our friends over the years, some gained and others lost... our work with children and the homeless... and still we dream! And still we dream of many lifetimes and adventures together! One of our chosen symbols for our marriage and our love is that of a chalice, a cup to hold and then set loose infinite possibilities. Our lives together are meant to liberate the other into becoming "an agent for transformation" and to find both the strength of perseverance and the radical witness of courage. As awareness seeps into one's bones, and then into and through the marrow, the truest response to the pain and suffering that devastates lives and is threatening to destroy this precious Planet, is the Way of Love: the breaking and opening of our hearts to unleash the power of compassion and a personal identification with the "Other" -- whomever She may be. Compassion and identification are the two primary "tools" in the belt of the mystic / activist. With them fully available and activated, becoming "agents of transformation" is within our reach -- without them, we will only fool ourselves and others, and cause still more pain and harm... We wonder what is in the news? A quick glance reveals these headlines: Landlord fights "White Only' pool sign ruling; Human Rights Watch criticizes Alabama immigration law; Inequality in the US - the top 0.1% gaining even more than top 1%; Threat of malnutrition dire in Africa's Sahel region... taking refuge in the Holy One, in Love, and in Service for Peace and Justice breaks one's heart -- and it just keeps right on breaking, leaking out all over the place... Three Stories: 1. Two women, farm workers, showed up at our House asking for food for their families. A few questions later, they revealed that they both had been working for a labor contractor. Together, they worked from sun-up to sun-down. The contractor gave then one check -- which they showed us -- to split for their days' work: the check totalled one dollar. There were a number of deductions made... 2. We organized a free health clinic at a migrant farm worker camp. The volunteer doctors were dispersed in a number of the small housing units. The families would make the rounds for diabetes screening, eye exams, PAP smears, etc. I wandered the camp visiting throughout the evening. Every time I passed one of the units, a young girl would come to the door and ask if I wanted to come in out of the cold wind. After a while, thoroughly chilled, I accepted her invitation. she was overjoyed to be able to offer me something from the little they had, would I like some hot chocolate and a pastry? I said, thanks for asking, but I was fine and just glad to be getting warm. I could hear her puttering around in the kitchen, and a few minutes later, she came out of the kitchen with a steaming cup of chocolate, and the gooiest Mexican pastry I could have ever imagined. Ah, but the look on Her Face! She was as radiant as the most beautiful summer day... 3. A couple had been reading our newsletter for some months and was curious about our stories of farm worker children. Could I take them with me to a farm worker camp? They went with me that Thursday, following me in their car. We arrived, I parked, and they parked facing the Santa Lucia Mountains across the Valley. "M" volunteered to distribute the beans, rice, and other items in the back of my truck -- I went off to play ball with the kids. later, "M" came up to me, she had finished, and she and her husband would be leaving. As I was walking her to her car, she asked if I was curious why her husband never got out of the car -- I really didn't think about it, probably figuring he was just shy. "M" stopped in the middle of the dirt parking lot and pointed to a ranch house in the distance. She said, "My husband grew up on that ranch. He drove by this camp everyday of his life -- and he never knew it was here." Only One Just say the Word And every border Will vanish this very night. We could tomorrow all wake up And not know if we're coming or going. Then we might finally understand: We are all, each one of us, aliens Until our pilgrim hearts Find their rest in Your embrace... "La Illaha, Il Allahu" We think we are many, But we are really only one... (Just say the Word...) Another story: It was nearing the end of time. There were huge crowds waiting in line, each one hoping to make it through the Pearly Gates. There was a steady movement forward -- no one seemed to be going away! Whew, maybe there's hope for all of us... slowly, whispered instructions were being passed back all the way from the front of the line, "Just say that you're a friend of Dorothy Day's. Pass it on." (Thanks to Milton Mayer for another version of this story from the February 1981 edition of "Enthusiasm" the paper of the Viva House in Baltimore). An Alternate Fourth Mindfulness Training: Aware of how my heart thrills to love, I will focus my daily intentions and actions upon living in solidarity with all those for whom to live means to suffer. I will listen deeply to hear their stories and their wisdom. I will walk with all of my sisters and brothers into our mutual liberation. Question for the Week: How would you re-imagine America if every cultural / social / economic / political / religious institution sought the full development and liberation of every person? (We know this to be a "big" question -- but if the big questions are never asked, how will we ever change course?) Practice for the Week: Review the pages of "Light on the Path"; pick a quotation that especially resonates with your mind, heart, life, and vision; write it down, make as many copies as you can, tape / place the copies wherever they might catch someone by surprise; sign them from "Occupy Love"... "We were just sitting there talking when Peter Maurin came in. We were just sitting there talking when lines of people began to form, saying, "We need bread." We could not say, "Go, be thou filled." If there were six small loaves and a few fishes, we had to divide them. There was always bread. We were just sitting there talking and people moved in on us... And somehow the walls expanded... The most significant thing about The Catholic Worker is poverty, some say. The most significant thing is community, others say. We are not alone any more. But the final word is love... We cannot love God unless we love each other, and to love we must know each other. We know Him in the breaking of bread, and we know each other in the breaking of bread, and we are not alone any more. Heaven is a banquet and life is a banquet, too, even with a crust, where there is companionship." --Dorothy Day 'Tis a gift to be simple, 'Tis a gift to be free, 'Tis a gift to come down Where we ought to be And when we find ourselves In the place just right 'Twill be in the valley Of love and delight. -- An old Shaker hymn "The love of our neighbor in all its fullness simply means being able to say, 'What are you going through'?" --Simone Weil "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." --Philo "The personal life deeply lived always expands into truths beyond itself." --Anais Nin "...What I want and all my days I pine for is to go back to my house and see my day of homecoming. And if some God batters me far out on the wine-blue water, I will endure it, keeping a stubborn spirit inside me, for already I have suffered much and done much hard work on the waves and in the fighting. So let this adventure follow." --Homer, Odyssey With love and December blessings, Michelle and Robert "In the Name of the Holy One, Boundlessly Compassionate, Boundlessly Merciful... Beauty within Beauty within Beauty..." Light on the Path  Opening Meditation
We begin: "In the Name of the Holy One, Boundlessly Compassionate, Boundlessly Merciful... Beauty within Beauty within Beauty..." The Holy One speaks: "Come to me my Beloved, my Love, dearest one of my Heart. Come to me..." We rest in these words, at-one with both the whirl of atoms and the spin of galaxies... everything has its being within this Call, "Come to me, my Beloved..." This Sacred Mystery expands and deepens as the Call of the One, becomes the Call for the Many... The Holy One speaks: "Come to me my Beloved... and bring All the Others with you. Leave no one behind, for I would abandon no One -- and so you must bring everyone with you." The whirl of atoms and the spin of galaxies become as a soup-ladle, lifted up and poured out upon the Bread that is your Body, to likewise be lifted and given to the world, given to those who hunger for justice and who thirst for hope... everyone will find their safety, their health, and a joyous homecoming for their heart, lifted up by the wings of the Holy One, "Come to me, my Beloved... everyone is Wanted..." Centered within this Holy Secret, relaxing into the pregnancy of breath, we breathe in "I love You" and we exhale "I thank You". We let that awareness deepen and expand to include our loved ones, our communities and regions, all living beings and all inanimate things, until our awareness has included this entire precious Planet. We let that awareness then receive the terrible weight of all suffering within our lives, within our loved ones, our communities, regions, all living beings and all inanimate things, until our awareness has included all suffering on this precious Planet. We breathe in "I love You" and we exhale "I bless You"... we breathe in "I love You" and we exhale "I will remember You"... we breathe in "I love You" and we exhale "I will give You reason for hope"... Recite the Three Refuges: "I take refuge in the Holy One. I take refuge in Love. I take refuge in Service for Justice and Peace." Why "refuge", what does it mean? The meaning of the word reveals the answer. Refuge: 1. Protection or shelter, as from danger or hardship. 2. A place providing protection or shelter; sanctuary. Life is hard for everyone -- should it be any different for the mystic / activist? When doubt assails, when triumph is overwhelmed by tragedy, or simply on those days when getting out of bed in the morning is a struggle, we have a "place of refuge". When our minds are captured by doubt, we can embrace that doubt and shout into every fierce wind a proclamation of our sacred identity: "I will not be turned aside! I take refuge in the Holy One! Kindness and Beauty are what really matters! I take refuge in Love! We are all, every last one of us, all the way down through blood and bone and into naked soul, worth loving! I take refuge in Service for Justice and Peace! The blanket of my sacred dream of harmlessness covering all the Earth is worth my struggle and my every breath!" Introduction: We take up the Mindfulness Trainings because in our moments of Awareness we know that we will forget... and in our frequent states of forgetfulness we need light on our path... we search out many sources and they are all true, deep, and good: Yeshua has stories and counsel, Rumi has poetry for the mid-night soul, Dorothy has a strong hand and a potato-peeler to share... Thich Nhat Hahn, our brother, suffered war and exile and the blessedness of return and teachings of peace -- from the once-napalmed forests, fields, and villages of Vietnam (napalmed by American planes and chemicals), came the liberating insight that we are all One, that with this precious Planet, we all exist in the steady state of "inter-being"... Third Mindfulness Training: Aware of the suffering caused by the imposition of our views on others, we are committed not to force others to adopt our views as we learn the inner meaning of nonviolence and encourage everyone to a deep practice of the "sacrament of conversation". Reflection: A quick review of the first three mindfulness trainings and these words jump out at us: fanaticism, intolerance, attachment, opinions, perceptions, imposition, and force. Whew! Do we take the time to scan the headlines for proof positive that these seven words succinctly define the current state of human relations on this Planet? And how scary it must be, to be a kid looking out upon a world of too many mad adults who are so skilled at justifying anything! Nevertheless, we have to look -- for mindfulness must be grounded in the genuine living experiences of people not precepts: "Syria kills 60 fleeing soldiers"; "As Romney's firm profited in SC, jobs disappeared"; "Ohio shooting of girl in Amish buggy a homicide"; and, "I'm freaked out: student vanishes after call"... The essence of this mindfulness training is the subtle, yet powerful, awareness that every "Other" is a trinity of being: her / him self, you, and at the same time another manifestation of the Holy One! This awareness is meant to shock us to the very core of our being. This awareness is meant to rip our minds apart. This awareness is meant to shatter every single one of our temptations to "think" intead of "live" the truth of "form without attachment". Ah! "I gave my heart and soul. My fortune too. I've no flock anymore, no other work in view. My occupation: love. It's all I do" (St. John of the Cross). Ah! Ah! "What is the life of the guerrilla fighter like? His normal life is the long hike" (Che Guevara). Awakening is not a "movement" into a unique, personal experience. But rather, it is a total, radical, self-emptying into EVERY OTHER as sister or brother, as servant and lover. Awakening is the discovery: "Hey! Everyday grace will see to it that there is less and less of me and more and more of You!" This "long hike" becomes something of a slow, beautiful, unveiling. Peeling potatoes, comforting a lost soul, listening to the scrambled words of an addict, organizing for justice, scrubbing the toilet, writing a paper, washing the dishes, teaching a class... everything becomes foreplay... everything becomes holy... everything becomes the deep practice of the "sacrament of conversation"... "There is no sudden illumination. There is only a certain calmness, an empty-fullness, that is content with a moment of sacred space, of consecrated time. A car speeds by. Tires squeel as the corner is turned. Dogs bark and gunshots penetrate both the night air and my interior silence. Words slowly form in my mind and my voice surprises my ears: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. I blow out the candle. I need to sleep. But only moments later, I hear shouting and the rustle of many bodies coming from the street. I jump from bed and rush to the window. I see a crowd of young men wailing upon someone sprawled upon the the street. Seeing the force of their constant blows and kicks, I know that their victim's life is in danger. I grab my pants and run outside. Attempting to get in between the many attackers and the man on the street, I dance around him, all the while pleading, "In the name of Jesus, stop!" A car passing by stops. The driver jumps out and also begins to kick the man on the street. I'm wondering what the hell is going on -- while silently begging God to not let my pants fall down (in my rush outside, I had only buttoned the top button) -- I know that what little moral authority I had would quickly disappear if my pants fell down! Finally, all the attackers stepped back and then started to walk away. One of them pulled a gun out and fired half a dozen shots into the air... alive, yet with skin as gray as the road and covered in blood, the attacked man begged me to drive him away before the police arrived. We went about a mile into a neighborhood "safe" for his gang... a long story to get to the "sacred conversation" part: About a year later, there was a knock at the door in the dead of night. There stood a young man, and a young woman holding an infant. The young man asked me for a ride to a neighborhood safe for him, his bride and their baby. He knew that I recognized him as one of the attackers from the year before. As we all squeezed into my small car, I also recognized the strange "pregnancy" of that moment. He knew he could come to me for help, as I knew that a scary "dance of kindness" had created a little space for the sacrament of conversation..." We look at each other in a deep appreciation for our opportunity to listen and adore another human being! Such splendor and delight in loving! We talk and tease each other of our favorite positions -- laughing loudly, we agree that it is holding hands and walking together. We wonder at how to overcome our human addiction to fear -- and all of the oppression and theologies that support it? All we know is that what we can do, we must. But with as much kissing, humor, loving, and talking as is humanly possible! We both suddenly remember those volunteer meetings at the Soup Kitchen in which we're "training" our guest volunteers. Somewhere along the line we ask them, "Do you think there is a God?" They all agree that they are hopeful... even in the midst of their addictions and "sins". We ask them to describe their picture of God's characteristics. They all agree that the word "All" is good: "All Powerful", "All Knowing", etc. We ask, "How about All-Fast?" To the collective, "Huh?" we respond, "Get up Bustar! Put your toe to the line. Race me to the front door. Ready? Set. Go!" Bustar barely moves, he's not convinced we're not fooling him. But the explanation is forthcoming: "Okay, let's say that God is All-Fast. Our job is still to put our toe to the line and "race" God! Try to beat "Him" in Kindness, in Generosity, in Smiles, in Good Conversation, in Loving!" An Alternative Third Mindfulness Training: Aware of the sacrament of conversation, I am committed to maintaining an attitude of humility and a spirit of kindness in my familiy, associations, and communities. I will look for ways to honor, engage, and serve the "Other" by the practice of Beauty and Compassion. The truth of liberation taken seriously is a way of life and of suffering resistance to the powers, my whole life in the service of truth. -- James W. Douglass I will bow and be simple, I will bow and be free, I will bow and be humble, Yea, bow like the willow tree. I will bow, this is the token, I will wear the easy yoke, I will bow and be broken, Yea, I will fall upon the rock. -- An old Shaker hymn Love calls -- everywhere and always. We're sky bound. Are you coming? -- Rumi We were created by Love, for Love, to become Love. -- Simone Weil With love and December Blessings, Michelle and Robert "In the Name of the Holy One, Boundlessly Compassionate, Boundlessly Merciful... Beauty within Beauty within Beauty..." Light on the Path  Opening Meditation:
We begin: "In the Name of the Holy One, Boundlessly Compassionate, Boundlessly Merciful... Beauty within Beauty within Beauty... The Holy One speaks: "Come to me my Beloved, my Love, dearest one of my Heart. Come to me..." We rest in these words, at-one with both the whirl of atoms and the spin of galaxies... everything has its being within this Call, "Come to me, my Beloved"... This Sacred Mystery expands and deepens as the Call of the One, becomes the Call for the Many... The Holy One speaks: "Come to me my Beloved... and bring All the Others with you. Leave no one behind, for I would abandon no One --- and so you must bring everyone with you." The whirl of atoms and the spin of galaxies become as a soup-ladle, lifted and poured out upon the Bread that is your Body, to likewise be lifted and given to the world, given to those who hunger for justice and who thirst for hope... everyone will find their safety, their health, and a joyous homecoming for their heart, lifted up by the wings of the Holy One, "Come to me, my Beloved... everyone is Wanted"... Centered within this Holy Secret, relaxing into the pregnancy of breath, we breathe in "I love You" and we exhale "I thank You". We let that awareness deepen and expand to include our loved ones, our communities and regions, all living beings and all inanimate things, until our awareness has included this entire precious Planet. We let that awareness then receive the terrible weight of all suffering within our lives, within our loved ones, our communities, regions, all living beings and all inanimate things, until our awareness has included all suffering on this precious Planet. We breathe in "I love You" and we exhale "I bless You"... we breathe in "I love You" and we exhale "I will remember You"... we breathe in "I love You" and we exhale "I will give You reason to hope"... Recite the Three Refuges: "I take refuge in the Holy One, I take refuge in Love, I take refuge in Service for Justice and Peace". Introduction: We take up the Mindfulness Trainings because in our moments of Awareness we know that we will forget... and in our frequent states of forgetfulness we need light on our path... we search out many sources and they are all true, deep, and good: Yeshua has stories and counsel, Rumi has poetry for the mid-night soul, Dorothy has a strong hand and a potato-peeler to share... Thich Nhat Hahn, our brother, suffered war and exile and the blessedness of return and teachings of peace --- from the once-napalmed forests, fields, and villages of Vietnam (napalmed by American planes and chemicals), came the liberating insight that we are all One, that with this precious Planet, we all exist in the steady state of "inter-being"... Second Mindfulness Training: Aware of the suffering caused by attachment to opinions and perceptions, we are determined to avoid being narrow minded as we learn to be open to others' insights and experiences. Reflection: We take a deep breath and pause... we remember that our chosen "sacred word" undergirding our marriage is gratitude. We nuzzle each other as we realize how our loneliness and separateness was transformed by our discovery of the other as our "self" -- in Love there is Only One and gratitude, gratitude, gratitude... our deeply personal realization suddenly expands into the sure knowing that this mindfulness training both compliments the First, and is also the seed-bed for the complete transformation that we seek... we want to focus our reflection upon two words: "other" and "unity"... so let's see where this goes... But first another quick glance at headlines in the news: Bloomberg reports "Rich - Poor Divide widens in Developed World" (we digress into "He reports. And kicks out the Occupy Wall Street folks. Maybe because he likes the divide?) "School suspends some students linked to bullying suicide" and "Climate change will be good for Britain's growers". Aware of the suffering caused by attachment to opinions and perceptions... There is a sufi story that goes something like this: a dervish left his favorite tavern in the dark of night for his walk home. Reaching into his pocket for his prayer beads, he fumbled them onto the ground. He spent some time on his hands and knees searching in the dark for them to no avail -- but looking up he saw a street light some distance away. He walked to the light, got down on his hands and knees again, and proceeded to search for his prayer beads. Meanwhile, a friend of his who likewise left the tavern for his walk home, approaches and asks if he can help. Both men are on their hands and knees searching for the prayer beads. Finally, the friend asks "Where did you drop the beads? They don't seem to be here." The dervish answers: "I dropped them way back down the road", to which his friend responds with, "You fool! If you dropped them back down the road, why are we on our hands and knees here?" The dervish answers: "Well, the light is much better over here..." Another story: A volunteer showed up in the Soup Kitchen available to cook for a couple of days. He proceeds to cook a huge, righteous, pot of pasta for our two hundred or so guests. With his special garlic french bread and salad, we had a veritable feast! And then he does actually show up the next day to cook once more! We eagerly anticipate the day's meal. Ah, minestrone soup... a slew of fresh vegetables are chopped, beans are cooked on the side, small shell pasta is added at just the right time... the slow, deep, bubbling of cooking soup releases its sacred aroma into the waiting air... heads pop into the kitchen, and voices ask, "Hey, what's for lunch today? I've got a bag of cans for recycling, if I don't get back in time, would you save me some?" Then, about fifteen minutes till serving time, he pulls from the walk-in six gallons of mayonnaise, which he pours into the soup pot with as much pomp and circumstance as he dares under the shocked eyes of the assembled volunteers. Six gallons of mayo! "What the heck?" is everyone's startled question. He turns to face his accusers: "You've ruined the soup! Now what are we going to do?" He smirks and simply states: "Yesterday's gunk can become today's Unity." Unbeknownst to everyone, he had saved the liquid drained from yesterday's pasta. He'd saved the liquid in empty gallon mayo jars that he'd scrounged from our storeroom. The liquid had thickened over-night in the refrigerator and taken on the appearance and consistency of mayonnaise. "Waste not, want not". He was right. We were left speechless. And the soup was perfect, indeed! Opinions-Perceptions-Attachments take the glorious colors of our lives and this world and shade them all gray. We will never find that which we are looking for if we are only willing to look "in the light" of our own opinions, perceptions, and attachments! We will never know all the possibilities the "soup of our lives" could become if we are unwilling to drop our opinions, perceptions, and attachments! The true colors of our lives and this world will bowl us over with their stunning beauty the minute we "recover our right mind"! Only One Away with words! No... away with thoughts! Let them all drop, like The clothes you would shed For one night with your dream. Be like the moon, full With only her lover's light. Trip! And fall into a happy accident. Empty your mind into adoration. Sweat your bliss -- massage it Through every pore, deep Into your heart and soul... "La Illaha, Il Allahu", For this is the truth: One is All there Is! Opinions-Perceptions-Attachments: They'll only get us all more headlines like the ones highlighted above. Nothing will change, because our minds will remain the same! "If God lived on earth people would break his windows" (Sinead O'Connor). Of course that is true, but why? Well, just like Yeshua, if the Holy One were to come today striding through our lives, nation and world, She would shred all of our opinions, perceptions, and attachments because all they do is divide and separate us from love, gratitude, and One -- and we would be filled with such self-righteous resentment that we'd start looking for a way to get rid of Her... So long as 400 people have more wealth than the bottom three billion people, so long as even one drone missle is flying, so long as borders mean something other than pretty trees and rivers, we are supporting and perpetuating suffering. So long as the vast majority of the 65,000 thoughts we have on any given day are negative and destructive, so long as we live in narrow-minded justifications, so long as we pay only lip-service to the demands of the times in which we live and refuse to surrender to One Love, we are supporting and perpetuating suffering... but there is a Way... paradise is possible: "Suppose it never, ever comes true, and there is no paradise... well, I'll still go on preaching. And yet how simple a matter it is: in one day, in one hour it could all be brought about at once! The chief thing is to love others as oneself, that's the main thing, and that's it -- absolutely nothing more is necessary: you would immediately discover how to bring it about" (Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man). An Alternative Second Mindfulness Training: Aware of the possibilities within gratitude and passion, I am determined to be expansive and delightful as I serve others and share in the mutual liberation of our dreams and visions for everyone on this precious blue Planet. If the very fate of humanity and of this Planet depended upon your thoughts, words, actions, and example, how would you act, what would you do? What if you were to live everyday with as much passionate desire for social justice as a drowning man fights for air? "We have reached a crossroads in human evolution where the only road which leads forward is towards a common passion. We must believe without reservation in the possibility and the necessary consequences of universal love." -- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin "Truth is the orgasm of what is right." -- Alice Walker "There is no such thing as military power; there is only military terrorism. There is no such thing as economic power; there is only economic exploitation." -- John Trudell "If you are for real, Risk everything for love. If not -- get out of here!" -- Rumi With love and December blessings, Michelle and Robert "In the Name of the Holy One, Boundlessly Compassionate, Boundlessly Merciful... Beauty within Beauty within Beauty..." Light on the Path  Opening Meditation:
We begin: "In the name of the Holy One, Boundlessly Compassionate, Boundlessly Merciful... Beauty within Beauty within Beauty." The Holy One speaks: "Come to me my Beloved, my Love, dearest one of my Heart. Come to me..." We rest in these words, at-one with both the whirl of atoms and the spin of galaxies... everything has its being within this Call, "Come to me, my Beloved"... This Sacred Mystery expands and deepens as the Call of the One, becomes the Call for the Many... The Holy One speaks: "Come to me my Beloved... and bring All the Others with you. Leave no one behind, for I would abandon no One -- so you must bring everyone with you." The whirl of atoms and the spin of galaxies become as a soup-ladle, lifted and poured out upon the Bread that is your Body, to likewise be lifted and given to the world, given to those who hunger for justice and who thirst for hope... everyone will find their safety, their health, and a joyous homecoming for their heart, lifted up by the wings of the Holy One, "Come to me, my Beloved... everyone is wanted..." Centered within this Holy Secret, relaxing into the pregnancy of Breath, we breathe in "I love You" and we exhale "I thank You." We let that awareness deepen and expand to include our loved ones, our communities and regions, all living beings and all inanimate things, until our awareness has included this entire precious Planet. We let that awareness then receive the terrible weight of all suffering within our lives, within our loved ones, our communities, regions, all living beings and all inanimate things, until our awareness has included all suffering on this precious Planet. We breathe in "I love You" and we exhale "I bless You"... we breathe in "I love You" and we exhale "I will remember You"... we breathe in "I love You" and we exhale "I will give You reason to hope"... Introduction: We take up the Mindfulness Trainings because in our moments of Awareness we know that we will forget... and in our frequent states of forgetfulness we need light on our path... we search out many sources and they are all true, deep, and good: Yeshua has stories and counsel, Rumi has poetry for the mid-night soul, Dorothy has a strong hand and a potato-peeler to share... Thich Nhat Hahn, our brother, suffered war and exile and the blessedness of return and teachings of peace. From the once-napalmed forests, fields, and villages of Vietnam (napalmed by American planes and chemicals), came the liberating insight that we are all One, that with this precious Planet, we all exist in the steady state of "inter-being"... First Mindfulness Training: Aware of the suffering caused by fanaticism and intolerance, we are committed to the practice of forgiveness and reconciliation as we learn to look deeply and develop our understanding and compassion. Reflection: We quickly glance at a few headines in the news -- to center our Awareness in the real Reality of Now -- and we read: "Iran Protesters storm British embassy in Tehran"... "Norway gunman found insane by psychiatric evaluators"... "Anti-violence activist slain in Mexico"... Aware of the suffering, and yet, and yet, we remember the words of Fr. Bede Griffiths, "We become ourselves as we enter more deeply into relationship with others", and "The ultimate goal of humanity is a communion of persons in love." And so the little awareness invading this moment of our lives resurrects the image of Martin Luther King, Jr. in our mind's eye. Like Moses of old, Martin gathered a people and shepherded them across a great divide with an example of grace in action and in words, "Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude"... This first mindfulness training jerks the chains of our opinions and justifications tight around our necks! We are tempted to choke on our righteous rage: "I have suffered! I am right! You need to change!" But wait! But wait! Awareness is an open invitation to "look deeply" -- and that "look" inevitably leads to a little awakening, like a ripe fruit dropping from the tree above, "Ah! Now that my head hurts I see that I have a choice. Do I curse the tree, cut it down, or eat the fruit?" We choose to eat the fruit, and "look"! Our minds are beginning to change! Awareness leads to a small awakening which then becomes an invitation to action: another quick internet search. So who has suffered and chosen to use that suffering as a vehicle of change and service? Here's a short list: Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi, Wangari Matthai, the Dalai Lama, and Azim Khamisa. And from the rfkcenter.org these words from Desmond Tutu: "When God created the world, God did not create one set of rules for black people and another for whites. God did not say that the tall, or the blue-eyed or the big nosed were superior. God did not say women were better than men, or that only heterosexuals would go to heaven. Prejudice and discrimination are psychosis invented and perfected by people." * Did you know that only an international outcry prevented Uganda from passing a law making homosexuality punishable by death in certain circumstances. * Did you know that the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights presented the 2011 Human Rights Award to Frank Mugisha? * Did you know that Mr. Mugisha is a gay human rights defender in Uganda and the executive director of Sexual Minorities Uganda? Of course, searching the internet cannot truly be called an "action" -- nevertheless it can provoke thought, that deep look that leads to sacred conversation... "Do you remember the look on Gaby's face... ah, wasn't that a perfect moment!" We had just finished a work-day with some homeless folks who were planning with us what their new home would be like... knowing ourselves not to be anyone's savior, we had been meeting with these folks for over a year hammering out our feelings and the details of what it would mean to live together (www.thedorothydayhouseofpeace.com). We were all together on a walk-through of what would become our home. The folks who'd been in tents or shelters for years couldn't believe in the possibility of a "welcome home"... the folks with a little sobriety under their belts wondered about living with someone else who was "planning" on quitting as soon as a home was just "around the corner"... and then all the issues of gender, race, age, sexual orientation, religion, health, and work-ethic were suddenly magnified as we sat together in the dining room... And then there was Drag Queen Gaby: former Party Girl (still looking over her shoulder) and former addict (still looking over her shoulder) with no idea whatsoever of where or how she fit in this brutal world... carrying in her handbag the sure knowledge of never having been accepted or "good enough", along with a heavy dose of fear of more rejection. Gaby plops down on the sofa just as a bit of sun fell through the sky-light upon Her Face: she looked up at Michelle and I and said, "I think I want to do this!" She knew that we saw her as she now saw herself, not as "Drag Queen Gaby", but as "Free Being Gaby" and she was "good enough", and in fact, it never was about being good enough. It is instead all about the love we refuse to keep locked up inside of our tiny hearts! Everything is about the love we give away in the building of communities of justice and peace. An Alternative First Mindfulness Training: "Aware of my desire to love and of the possibility of building Paradise upon this precious blue Planet, I commit my life to this sacred work. I will to live as an agent of transformation. I will help in the building of a new world of justice, equality, peace, and liberation for everyone, everywhere!" "Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." -- Robert F. Kennedy, Capetown, June 6th, 1966 "We have to fight injustice, and we can fight it in many ways. The best way is the way that can bring justice, not create more injustice... if you are calm and you get the right vision, you are going to succeed in bringing change into society." --Thich Nhat Hahn With love, and December Blessings to All, Michelle and Robert "In the Name of the Holy One, Boundlessly Compassionate, Boundlessly Merciful... Beauty within Beauty within Beauty." |
AuthorRobert Daniel Smith was privileged to serve the homeless and marginalized for 30 years in California. He is living now almost within shouting distance of the Twin Cities. He is a poet, artist, writer, and long-time Companion of the Way still dreaming... Archives
May 2022
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