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Hello everyone, it may have been Thomas Merton who said, "If we saw ourselves as we truly are, we would fall down and worship one another." This reminder of our actual spiritual size and reach is comforting after recent tragedies. It is possible to become very lost in this world, yet our true nature lives on.
May we sit this Sunday for that true nature to come through. May we set aside our obstacles, even for a moment, to see ourselves as we are. May we see ourselves as Stanley saw Lyn Mocejunas, "Sails now full, with a fresh breeze: all is drenched with love."
Thank you,
Richard
Sunday, December 30
Wednesday, December 19
Further comments on December 21st - and a focus for Sunday the 23rd...
Thank you to all who wrote in. Something Barbara said brought up another thought. Barbara wrote:
Richard,
I can totally relate to what you wrote.
If I wrote out the story of the last 20 years of my life, I can see a theme that goes along with the theme of the Harmonic Convergence and now "the end of the world as we know it."
And thank goodness it feels like a new world, at least inside of me and around me too. The way to change our world for the better is one person at a time and if we are a student of our own inner life IT is happening.
Love to you,
Barbara
The idea that a prophecy can be fulfilled in many different ways brought this story to mind:
More than 1000 years ago there was a prophecy which was highly celebrated by the Tibetans of that time. The prophecy stated that the borders of Tibet should be sealed, no outsiders should be allowed entry, in order to preserve the spiritual purity of their culture. It went on to say that some time in the future there would be a cataclysmic event in the Lhasa valley which would kill 3/4 of the people living there. This event would be a signal that it was time for Tibetans to leave the Tibetan plateau and carry their spirituality out into the rest of the world. This is not to say their religion, but their spirituality, the true compassion of their hearts.
In the course of time the borders were not sealed and much of the western world crept in, a car, a movie camera and projector, flashlights, wrist watches, magazines, and so on. It turned out that when the actual cataclysmic event occurred, an earthquake which cracked an ancient and holy temple in 1981, there was no one in the valley to celebrate the fulfillment of the prophecy. It was just a horrifying earthquake to them. However, Tibetans had already been flung to the far corners of the globe by other events. The prophecy had been fulfilled, though not in the manner foreseen so long ago.
The sad part is that spiritual sensitivity had diminished to the point where no one in the Lhasa valley could recognize the culmination of a prophecy which had been proclaimed so many years before. Perhaps we're in a similar situation now.
Perhaps there is something beyond our cultural imaginings, beyond the quick and easy doomsday scenarios so popular and sensational, which we are here to be a part of.
May we set aside our previous ideas, our thoughts, biases, and beliefs, and simply be. May we be the observers who join in when called, the volunteers who respond from the heart. For those who feel pulled to assist a world in transition, may we each answer as called.
Thank you,
Richard
Richard,
I can totally relate to what you wrote.
If I wrote out the story of the last 20 years of my life, I can see a theme that goes along with the theme of the Harmonic Convergence and now "the end of the world as we know it."
And thank goodness it feels like a new world, at least inside of me and around me too. The way to change our world for the better is one person at a time and if we are a student of our own inner life IT is happening.
Love to you,
Barbara
The idea that a prophecy can be fulfilled in many different ways brought this story to mind:
More than 1000 years ago there was a prophecy which was highly celebrated by the Tibetans of that time. The prophecy stated that the borders of Tibet should be sealed, no outsiders should be allowed entry, in order to preserve the spiritual purity of their culture. It went on to say that some time in the future there would be a cataclysmic event in the Lhasa valley which would kill 3/4 of the people living there. This event would be a signal that it was time for Tibetans to leave the Tibetan plateau and carry their spirituality out into the rest of the world. This is not to say their religion, but their spirituality, the true compassion of their hearts.
In the course of time the borders were not sealed and much of the western world crept in, a car, a movie camera and projector, flashlights, wrist watches, magazines, and so on. It turned out that when the actual cataclysmic event occurred, an earthquake which cracked an ancient and holy temple in 1981, there was no one in the valley to celebrate the fulfillment of the prophecy. It was just a horrifying earthquake to them. However, Tibetans had already been flung to the far corners of the globe by other events. The prophecy had been fulfilled, though not in the manner foreseen so long ago.
The sad part is that spiritual sensitivity had diminished to the point where no one in the Lhasa valley could recognize the culmination of a prophecy which had been proclaimed so many years before. Perhaps we're in a similar situation now.
Perhaps there is something beyond our cultural imaginings, beyond the quick and easy doomsday scenarios so popular and sensational, which we are here to be a part of.
May we set aside our previous ideas, our thoughts, biases, and beliefs, and simply be. May we be the observers who join in when called, the volunteers who respond from the heart. For those who feel pulled to assist a world in transition, may we each answer as called.
Thank you,
Richard
Friday, December 14
For Sunday December 16th, 2012
Hello all, the shooting at Sandy Hill Elementary School in Connecticut has brought to mind Tom Sawyer's reply when asked about the shootings at Columbine and Virginia Tech. Here are some highlights from his answer:
It is a subject that has many aspects and has festered for over three generations. Since the '50's there has been a dissolution of the core family. Child raising moved away from chores and responsibilities toward entertainment. The idea of "a man's word is his bond" began loosing ground. Society became promiscuous, in the true sense of the word, and we knew it. The '60's were worse, easier yes, but worse for the children. Modern conveniences replaced the need to work hard on a daily basis. It became easier to lie and be forgiven rather than take initial responsibility. The family dinner became lost for many households, and weekends were for each individual, separately. There were fewer and fewer people who would take care of themselves and do sports, work, or prioritize 'doing good and interesting things' rather than just 'seeing and being seen'. Entertainment began to push societal limits for a 'shock and awe' effect. Movies, sports, and even religions have tweaked their organizations in order to keep and/or hang onto their numbers. Schools have been the worst where, for fear of hurting the self-esteem of the child, administrations have taken on the role of being heroes rather than teachers, discipline has continually slackened. In movies and from societal attitudes came 'well nobody pays all their taxes anyway' and 'a rip-off is ok, it's not like a real crime'.
He goes on to mention the impersonality and total insensitivity of computers. He wrote this response in 2007, before the spread of social media, and said that he ought to write a treatise on the social climate that developed so children could kill. He died a few weeks later.
May we sit this Sunday for honest, real connections between people, truly from the heart. May we sit for living our own honorable lives, and supporting others in their search and growth. May we sit for increasing spiritual connection in the world at large.
Thank you,
Richard
It is a subject that has many aspects and has festered for over three generations. Since the '50's there has been a dissolution of the core family. Child raising moved away from chores and responsibilities toward entertainment. The idea of "a man's word is his bond" began loosing ground. Society became promiscuous, in the true sense of the word, and we knew it. The '60's were worse, easier yes, but worse for the children. Modern conveniences replaced the need to work hard on a daily basis. It became easier to lie and be forgiven rather than take initial responsibility. The family dinner became lost for many households, and weekends were for each individual, separately. There were fewer and fewer people who would take care of themselves and do sports, work, or prioritize 'doing good and interesting things' rather than just 'seeing and being seen'. Entertainment began to push societal limits for a 'shock and awe' effect. Movies, sports, and even religions have tweaked their organizations in order to keep and/or hang onto their numbers. Schools have been the worst where, for fear of hurting the self-esteem of the child, administrations have taken on the role of being heroes rather than teachers, discipline has continually slackened. In movies and from societal attitudes came 'well nobody pays all their taxes anyway' and 'a rip-off is ok, it's not like a real crime'.
He goes on to mention the impersonality and total insensitivity of computers. He wrote this response in 2007, before the spread of social media, and said that he ought to write a treatise on the social climate that developed so children could kill. He died a few weeks later.
May we sit this Sunday for honest, real connections between people, truly from the heart. May we sit for living our own honorable lives, and supporting others in their search and growth. May we sit for increasing spiritual connection in the world at large.
Thank you,
Richard
Saturday, December 8
For Sunday December 9th, 2012
Hello to all, the problems of humanity are many-fold, multi-layered, and mountainous. Over generations and through the eras we have gotten ourselves into quite a fix with economies, religious differences, inter-racial difficulties, wars between countries, and road-rage among neighbors. To be embroiled in such thinking is to be lost, entangled within self.
There is always an opportunity to open our minds to search for spiritual answers. From garbage collector to government leader each person may do this in their own life, in their own place.
May we sit this Sunday for the willingness to take up that search in ourselves, willingness in others, and willingness in the world at large. May it be that Divine Light come down to provide us guidance.
Thank you,
Richard
There is always an opportunity to open our minds to search for spiritual answers. From garbage collector to government leader each person may do this in their own life, in their own place.
May we sit this Sunday for the willingness to take up that search in ourselves, willingness in others, and willingness in the world at large. May it be that Divine Light come down to provide us guidance.
Thank you,
Richard
Sunday, December 2
For Sunday December 2nd, 2012
Hello all, as humanity inches itself toward spiritual destiny, like a flower bud opening one petal at a time, occasionally clinging tightly curled, may we ease the transition with our own lives, our own hearts, our love for self and others. May we show tolerance, patience, and an understanding of difficulties encountered in growth.
This Sunday, as we observe a tremulous unfolding of faith, may we reach for the depths of our own as we sit in time, loving a common future.
Thank you,
Richard
This Sunday, as we observe a tremulous unfolding of faith, may we reach for the depths of our own as we sit in time, loving a common future.
Thank you,
Richard
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