Words of Meditation

Shantideva’s Dedication

May every being in all directions,
Troubled by suffering in body and mind,
Experience an ocean of happiness—joy,
Because of my positive deeds.
May no one be hurt, nor do any harm,
Nor ever fall sick again.
May none feel afraid or hopeless or worried,
With a heart worn down by depression.
May the blind see sights,
And the deaf hear sounds.
May the young and old without protector,
Have the hand of a defender.
May the naked find clothing,
The hungry find food.
May the thirsty find water,
Clean, clear, and refreshing.
May the poor find wealth,
And those weak with grief find joy.
May those broken by loss
Take heart and find new life.
May all who are ill be swiftly healed,
Forevermore free of disease.
May medicines cure and food nourish,
May all live long and well.
May those who shiver with cold be warm,
And those who swelter in heat be cooled.
May billowing clouds of bodhichitta
Rain lightly down upon our earth.
May those set out by boat or plane
Achieve their heart’s desires,
Safely returned to solid ground,
With loved ones reunited.
May nature issue timely rains
And yield abundant harvests.
May rulers govern ethically
And people throughout the world thrive.
May bombs and missiles of burning ember,
Become a rain of roses;
May soldiers become an army of love,
Children at play with flowers.
May hellish places become delightful,
Fragrant lakes of blooming lotus
Peaceful with entrancing song
Of crane and duck, of goose and swan.
May the frightened be fearless,
And the bound be free.
May those oppressed become strong.
May living beings across the earth be kind to one another.
For as long as space remains,
And for as long as living beings endure,
May I too remain
To ease the suffering of the world.

** Submitted by H. Burns to InterfaithCincy@gmail.com

Sufi Prayer for Peace

Send Thy peace, O Lord, which is perfect and everlasting,
that our souls may radiate peace.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that we may think, act,
and speak harmoniously.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that we may be contented
and thankful for Thy bountiful gifts.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that amidst our worldly strife
we may enjoy thy bliss.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that we may endure all,
tolerate all in the thought of thy grace and mercy.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that our lives may become a
divine vision, and in Thy light all darkness may vanish.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, our Father and Mother, that we
Thy children on earth may all unite in one family.
– Sufi Prayer

Autumn Prayer (from Doug Leonhardt, S.J.)

God of all seasons, we thank you for Autumn.
We thank you for the touch of coolness in the air that gives us a new burst of energy, for the coloring of trees that shows the creativity of the Divine Artist, for the falling leaves that reveal the strength of the branches, for the hues of fields that bring peace to our souls, for the smiles on pumpkins that bring joy to children, for the fall harvest which that brings us gratitude for the bounty of our land, for this change of seasons that reveals the circle of life. God of all seasons, as you transform the earth, transform us by your Spirit.

Amen!

This is my Song (Jan Sibelius – 1899 / Wds Lloyd Stone – 1934) Finlandia

This is my song, O God of all the nations, A song of peace for lands afar and mine. This is my home, the country where my heart is, Here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine. But other hearts in other lands are beating, With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine. My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean, And sunlight beams on clover leaf and pine. But other lands have sunlight too, and clover, And skies are everywhere as blue as mine. O hear my song, thou God of all the nations, A song of peace for their land and for mine.

Namaste “I bow to the divine in you.” My soul honors your soul. I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides. I honor the light, love, truth, beauty & peace within you, because it is also within me. In sharing these things we are united, we are in the same, we are one. – Hindu Teaching of Unity

In My Heart

When the coals of faith are cooling off inside you;
and you feel like all you do is act a part;
When you’re desperate for one ember that’s still burning –
you will find it, hot and glowing, in my heart.

When you’ve lost that smiling image of yourself,
and you don’t know where to stand or where to start;
When you’re looking for your compass and your candle,
you will find them, safe and protected, in my heart.

When some people label you a failure,
and the accusation pierces like a dart;
There’s one to whom you’ve always been an angel;
I still love you, I still see you, in my heart.

Everything that’s good and sweet about you –
and there’s so much, you’re a living work of art –
is alive in me, I’ve kept it like a songbird,
soaring still and calling in my heart.

Wael Abdelgawad (source: Islamicsunrays.com)

Indra’s Net –

‘In the Heaven of Indra, there is said to be a network of pearls, so arranged that if you look at one you see all the others reflected in it. In the same way each object in the world is not merely itself but involves every other object and in fact IS everything else. “In every particle of dust, there are present Buddhas without number.”‘ – Sir Charles Elliot

The Global Community: One Human Family by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet

“Whether we like it or not, we have all been born on this earth as part of one great human family. Rich or poor, educated or uneducated, belonging to one nation or another, to one religion or another, adhering to this ideology or that, ultimately each of us is just a human being like everyone else: we all desire happiness and do not want suffering. Furthermore, each of us has an equal right to pursue these goals.

Today’s world requires that we accept the oneness of humanity. In the past, isolated communities could afford to think of one another as fundamentally separate and even existed in total isolation. Nowadays, however, events in one part of the world eventually affect the entire planet. Therefore we have to treat each major local problem as a global concern from the moment it begins. We can no longer invoke the national, racial or ideological barriers that separate us without destructive repercussion. In the context of our new interdependence, considering the interests of others is clearly the best form of self-interest.

I view this fact as a source of hope. The necessity for cooperation can only strengthen mankind, because it helps us recognize that the most secure foundation for the new world order is not simply broader political and economic alliances, but rather I each individual’s genuine practice of love and compassion. For a better, happier, more stable and civilized future, each of us must develop a sincere, warm-hearted feeling of brother- and sisterhood.”

Source: www.dalailama.com

Do Good Anyway
Submitted to Interfaith Cincy by: Jim Myres, OFS

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are king, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, some could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will 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 never was between you and them anyway.

Attributed to Mother Teresa