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The best way to look at suffering is with gratitude, that it is happening in order to teach us some very important lesson.  It is useless to want suffering to go away.  It is impermanent, it will go away anyway, but if we don’t learn the lesson that it is trying to teach us, it will come back in exactly the same manner.

            Aya Khema  When the Iron Eagle Flies

How easily we can forget how precious life is! 

So long as we can remember, we’ve just been here, being alive.

Unlike other things for which we have a comparison—black to white, day to night, good to bad—we are so immersed in life that we can see it only in the context of itself. We don’t see life as compared to anything, to not-being, for example, to never having been born. Life just is.

But life itself is a gift. It’s a compliment just being born: to feel, breathe, think, play, dance, sing, work, make love, for this particular lifetime.

Today let’s give thanks for life. For life itself! For simply being born!

                                                            Daphne Rose Kingma

The Buddha compared being angry with picking up hot coals with bare hands and trying to throw them at one’s enemy.  Who gets burnt first?  The one who’s picking up the coals, of course—the one who is angry.  We may not even hit the target we are aiming at, because if that person is clever and practiced enough, he’ll duck—and we shall still have burnt hands.

                                    Ayya Khema from When the Iron Eagle Flies

I  Just Laugh

If I told you the truth about God,
you might think I was an
idiot.

If I lied to you about the Beautiful One
you might parade me through the streets shouting,
 “This guy is a genius!”

This world has its pants on backwards.

Most carry their values and knowledge in a jug
that has a big hole in it.

Thus having a clear grasp of the situation
if I am asked anything these days

                        I just laugh!

                        Kabir

There is a well-known simile about a monkey trap of the kind used in Asia —a wooden container with a small opening.  Inside lies a sweet.  The monkey, attracted by the sweet, puts his paw into the opening and grasps the sweet.  When he wants to draw his paw out again, he cannot get his fist with the sweet through the narrow opening.  He is trapped until the hunter comes and captures him.  He does not realize that all he has to do to be free is let go of the sweet.  That is the way we live our lives.  We are trapped because we want it nice and sweet.  Not being able to let go, we are caught in the never-ending cycle of happiness and unhappiness, hope and despair.

                        Ayya Khema from Be An Island

O God, make the door of this house wide enough to receive all who need human love and fellowship, and narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride, and strife.  Make its threshold smooth enough to be no stumbling block to children, nor to straying feet, but rugged and strong enough to turn back the tempter’s power.  God make the door of this house the gateway to thine eternal kingdom.

                                                Bishop Thomas Ken (1637-1711)

If we divide into two camps—even into the violent and the nonviolent—and stand in one camp while attacking the other, the world will never have peace.  We will always blame and condemn those we feel are responsible for wars and social injustice, without recognizing the degree of violence in ourselves.  We must work on ourselves and also with those we condemn if we want to have a real impact.

                        Ayya Khema   Be An Island

Unless we practice loving feelings toward everyone we meet, day in, day out, we’re missing out on the most joyous part of life.  If we can actually open our hearts, there’s no difficulty in being happy.

They’ve lost it, lost it,
and their children
will never even wish for it—
and I am afraid that the whole tribe’s in trouble,
the whole tribe is lost—
because the sun keeps rising
and these days
nobody sings.

Long ago
the ancients say
this land was free
and we shared it all
with the mountains and the sea
the birds and the trees
we lived in peace
long ago
before those others came
and built fences
by cutting the trees
dug mines
by cutting the earth
removed her blood
the oil that lies within
formed long ago
like us
who lived in peace

the birds sang less
without the trees
the land became dry
without the birds
to plant the flowers
and we too became quiet
watching our mountains die
listening for the birds
that no longer flew—
but still we lived in peace

what sustained us
through all those years?
The nights of silence
and the songs of the frogs

for we know
as the ancients said
this land will again be free
and we will again share it all
with the mountains and the sea
the birds and the trees
for we still live in peace
and we wish you the same
for we are all one.

            Haarriet Kofalk, inspired by the Bribri, indigenous Costa Ricans

The words of the Buddha offer these truths:

Hatred never ceases by hatred but by love alone is healed.
This is the ancient and eternal law.

Like a caring mother
holding and guarding the life
of her only child,
so with a boundless heart
hold yourself and all beings.

May I and all beings be filled with loving kindness.
May I and all beings be safe from inner and outer dangers.
May I and all beings be well in body and mind.
May I and all beings be happy and free.

Quoted by Jack Kornfield in The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace

Jack Kornfield writes, “The ground of love is found beyond judgment and blame.”  He goes on to quote Alexander Solzenitsyn:

If only it were so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere else insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were simply necessary to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?

Hate is the first the most obvious enemy of love. Hate hardens the heart. It holds tight to our pain and our anger so that the other is cast as inhuman. Hate disfigures our spirit.

“Never succumb to the temptation of becoming bitter. As you press for justice, be sure to move with dignity and discipline, using only the instruments of Love.”  Martin Luther King, Jr.

The other great enemy of love is fear. Fear contracts the heart. Its worries and anxieties stop the flow of love. Do we really want to live in fear?  As the Persian poet Hafiz kindly puts it:

“Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I’d like to see you in better living conditions.”

Jack Kornfield

Love can only be found where we are. Love is “nearer than near.”
         “Are you looking for the Holy One?
         I am in the next seat.
         My shoulder is against yours.”

To make peace
we cannot ignore
war, racism, violence, greed,
the injustice and sufferings
of the world.

They must be confronted
with courage and compassion.
Unless we seek justice
peace will fail.

Yet in whatever we do
we must not let war, violence, and fear
take over our own heart.

            Jack Kornfield

The ancient words of Ecclesiastes mind us:

To everything there is a season
and a time to every purpose under heaven—
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to reap that which is planted,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to break down and a time to build up,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance.

So too, we are taught by the Tao:

There is a time for being ahead,
a time for being behind,
a time for being in motion,
a time for being at rest;
a time for being vigorous,
a time for being exhausted;
a time for being safe,
a time for being in danger.

The Master sees things as they are, without trying to control them. She lets them go their own way, and resides at the center of the circle.

            Jack Kornfield

If we’re looking for outer conditions to bring us contentment, we’re looking in vain.

            Ayya Khema

We are all being reborn at every moment. Look upon each morning as a rebirth and we may understand that only this one day exists. What will happen next time is completely dependent upon what we are doing now, therefore only “now” is important. “Now” is the cause; next life is the result.

Ayya Khema

Sometimes the best we can do may be very good; sometimes it is only mediocre.

            Ayya Khema

Peace Prayer

Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth.
Lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust.
Lead me from hate to love, from war to peace.
Let peace fill or heart, our world, our universe.
Peace. Peace. Peace.

            Adapted from the Upanishads by Satish Kumar

I JUST LAUGH

If I told you the truth about God,
                 you might think I was an
                                  idiot.

If I lied to you about the Beautiful One
                you might parade me through the streets shouting,
                                “This guy is a genius!”

This world has its pants on backwards. 
              Most carry their values and knowledge in a jug
                               that has a big hole in it.

Thus having a clear grasp of the situation
              if I am asked anything these days

                               I just laugh!

Kabir  (15^th c. Indian poet)

Shalom: A Prayer from Many Spiritual Sources to Begin and End the Day

Let me be at peace within myself.
Let me accept that I am profoundly loved and need never be afraid.
Let me be aware of the Source of Being that is common to us all and to all living creatures.
Let me be filled with the presence of the Great Compassion toward myself and toward all living beings.
Let me always be an instrument of my own liberation and not of my own oppression.
Let me see the face of Jesus in others.
Let me be the face of Jesus for others.
Let me be at peace within myself.  Amen.

            The Rev. Canon Elizabeth Kaeton

WHAT KIND OF GOD

What kind of God would He be if He did not hear the bangles ring on an ant’s wrist as they move the earth in their sweet dance?

And what kind of God would He be if a leaf’s prayer was not as precious to Creation as the prayer His own son sang from the glorious depth of his soul—for us.

And what kind of God would He be if the vote of millions in this world could sway Him to change the Divine law of love that speaks so clearly with compassion’s elegant tongue, saying, eternally saying:

All are forgiven—moreover, dears, no one has ever been guilty.

            Kabir

VISITING HOLY SHRINES

If you circumambulated every holy shrine in the world
      ten times,
      it would not get you to heaven
      as quick

     as controlling your
      anger.

            Kabir

AN INTELLIGENT RICH PERSON

I don’t think there is such a thing as
       an intelligent mega-rich
       person.

For who with a fine mind can look
       out upon this world and
       hoard

what can nourish
       a thousand
       souls.

Kabir

Cooking is not to rush. 
It’s a prayer.
A gift of love.
It’s family.
It’s standing in the company of your ancestors
 and feeling their hands helping you.

Bruce, quoting his grandma Katz from Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos

I felt in need of a great pilgrimage
         so I sat still for three
                   days

             and God came
                 to me.

Kabir

WHERE THE SHOPKEEPER WOULD SAY

                                I was
                  looking for that shop
            where the shopkeeper would say,

          “There is nothing of value in here.” 
                  I found it and did
                      not leave.

               The richness of not wanting
                          wrote these
                             poems.

            Kabir

I HAD TO SEEK THE PHYSICIAN

                       I had to seek the Physician
                     because of the pain this world
                                    caused me.

      I could not believe what happened when I got there---
                                  I found my
                                    Teacher.

                          Before I left, he said,
                 “Up for a little homework, yet?”
                          “Okay, I replied.”

               “Well then, try thanking all the people
                          who have caused
                                you pain.

                          They helped you
                              come to me.

            Kabir

For Martin Luther King Day

I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a “thing oriented” society to a “person oriented” society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered… more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered… A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death… We still have a choice today; nonviolent coexistence or violent co-annihilation.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. from “A Time to Break Silence: Declaration of Independence from the War in Vietnam ,” April 4, 1967 , exactly one year before his assassination.

IT STOPS WORKING

           Look
 what happens to the scale
      when love
         holds
            it.

              It
          stops
        working.

            Kabir

Shalom: A Prayer from Many Spiritual Sources to Begin and End the Day

Let me be at peace within myself.
Let me accept that I am profoundly loved and need never be afraid.
Let me be aware of the Source of Being
      that is common to us all and to all living creatures.
Let me be filled with the presence of the Great Compassion
      toward myself and toward all living beings.
Let me always be an instrument of my own liberation and not of my own oppression.
Let me see the face of Jesus in others.
Let me be the face of Jesus for others.
Let me be at peace within myself. Amen.

The Reverend Canon Elizabeth Kaeton

If you are kind, people
may accuse you of selfish,
ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway…

What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway…

The good you do today, people will
Often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis,
it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

            Kent Keith

Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed.                                                 Corita Kent

As you read and think about this short poem, remember your friends and loved ones who grieve.

Joy is a partnership,
            Grief weeps alone;
Many guests had Cana,
            Gethsemane had one.

            Frederic Lawrence Knowles from “Grief and Joy”              

From the cowardice that dare not face new truth
From the laziness that is contented with half truth
From the ignorance that thinks it knows all truth,
Good Lord, deliver me.

--Kenyan prayer

If I make my enemy my friend, then haven’t I destroyed my enemy?

…you know the sprout is hidden inside the seed.
We are all struggling; none of us has gone far.
Let your arrogance go, and look around inside.

The blue sky opens out farther and farther,
the daily sense of failure goes away,
the damage I have done to myself fades,
a million suns come forward with light,
when I sit firmly in that world.

            Kabir, trans. by Robert Bly

Friend, hope for the guest while you are alive.
Jump into experience while you are alive.
Think…and think…while you re alive.
What you call “salvation” belongs to the time before death.

If you don’t break your ropes while you’re alive,
do you think
ghosts will do it after?

The idea that the soul will join with the ecstatic
just because the body is rotten—
that is all fantasy.
What is found now is found then.
If you find nothing now,
you will simply end up with an apartment in the City of Death.
If you make love with the divine now, in the next life
you will have the face of satisfied desire…

            Kabir

A prominent Jewish prayer concludes “May He who made peace in the heavens grant peace to us on earth.”  What does it mean to create peace in the heavens?  Ancient man looked up into the sky and he saw the sun and the rainclouds.  And he would say to himself “How can fire and water, sun and rain co-exist in the same sky?  Either the water would put out the fire, or the fire would dry up the water.”  How do they get along?  It must be a miracle.  The sun says, “If I dry up the rainclouds, as I probably could, the world will not survive without rain.”  The clouds say, “If we extinguish the sun, the world will perish in darkness.”  So the fire and the water make peace, realizing that if either one of them achieved a total victory, the world could not continue.

            When we pray for God to grant us the sort of peace He ordained in the heavens, this is the miracle we ask for.  How can men and women live together happily?  They are opposites; their needs are different, their rhythms are different.  It takes a miracle for them to bridge those differences and unite the masculine side of God’s image with the feminine side.

            How can Arabs and Israelis learn to live together?  Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants?  Black South Africans and white South Africans?  It takes a miracle for them to realize that if they won, if they had it all and the other side had nothing, the world could not survive their victory.  Only by making room for everyone in the world, even for our enemies, can the world survive.

            May God who showed us the miracle of Shalom, of making room for each other and giving up the illusion of victory in the heavens, grant a similar miracle to all of us who inhabit the earth.

Beloved Lord, Almighty God!
Through the rays of the sun,
Through the waves of the air,
Through the All-pervading Life in space,
Purify and revivify me, and, I pray.
Heal my body, heart, and soul.  Amen.

            Hazrat Inayat Khan from “Prayers for Healing”

I thank God for my handicaps, for, through them, I have found myself, my work, and my God.

As the sun rises each morning
I take my begging bowl
And knock on the door of the rich.
“Can you spare a sliver of profits for the poor?”
I am welcomed into lush offices
And seated in plush chairs.
They offer me a cold drink and I accept.
“Our children roam the streets like stray dogs,” I plead.
They talk of stock market uncertainty.
I tell them about eight-year-old TiTi
Who found three rats in her bed.
“I got a stick and killed one,” she told me.
“The other two got away.  There was blood everywhere.”
They shake their heads in horror
And offer me another drink.
I rise from the chair,
Sit on the floor in lotus position,
Half close my eyes, lift the begging bowl
And wait.

            Mary Lou Kownacki from “Between Two Souls”

Winter comes and goes
And I am no different than the twigs
Outside my bedroom window
That sit there expecting
Something or someone
To change them into rosebuds.

As if possibility were enough
To allure the passersby
To stop and smell and marvel
At the wonder of the Monet
That lives inside me.

            Mary Lou Kownacki from “Between Two Souls”

First
I thank the Source
of all life
for this life’s meaning
then I can begin.

first
I create the space
in which to grow
into new dimensions
then I can move there

first
I envision the garden
full of rainbows and
scents of nectar
then I can plant them.

first
I touch my heartstring
and feel its resonance
with the harmonics of all beings
then I can share love

first
I hear the bird sing
filling the garden
with melodies beyond my ears
then I can appreciate life’s music

first
I taste the morning light
with which to create
food for my soul
then I can cook

            Harriet Kofalk from “Life’s Prayers”