Practicing Love

We begin by practicing the love meditation on ourselves ("May I"). Until we are able to love and take care of ourselves, we cannot be much help to others. After that, we practice them on others ("May he/she/they") - first on someone we like, then on someone neutral to us, and finally on someone who makes us suffer.

May I be peaceful, happy, and light in body and spirit.

May I be safe and free from injury.

May I be free from anger, afflictions, fear and anxiety.

May I learn to look at myself with the eyes of of understanding and love.

May I be able to recognize and touch the seeds of joy and happiness in myself.

May I learn to identify and see the sources of anger, craving, and delusion in myself.

May I know how to nourish the seeds of joy in myself every day.

May I be able to live fresh, solid, and free.

May I be free from attachment and aversion, but not indifferent.

Love is not just the intention to love, but the capacity to reduce suffering, and offer peace and happiness. The practice of love increases our forbearance, our capacity to be patient and embrace difficulties and pain. Forbearance does mean that we try to suppress pain.”

― Thich Nhat Hanh

________________________________

This has been a brutal time in America

And we have found a million ways to kill people’s soul

To plant deeply

In hearts

The seeds of fear, and hate

We have become a nation divided

And we sit here

On this evening before election day

Angry and frightened

Alienated from others

Alienated from ourselves

It is time to breathe

Deeply

Breathing in peace

Breathing in love

Breathing in openness

And find within

That Sacred space where we are

Most with God

And in that place we need to seek

Reconciliation

In that place we need to nurture

And heal

Our very selves

Not just so that we may be comforted

But so that we may comfort

So that we may say

With all our hearts, souls

To those with whom we have so bitterly battled

May you be peaceful, happy, and light in body and spirit.

May you be safe and free from injury.

May you be free from anger, afflictions, fear and anxiety.

May you walk in the light of God’s love

For when the voting is finished tomorrow

We will walk out of our houses

And into our offices

Into our churches, and synagogues, mosques and temples

And we will meet people we have disagree with

And how have disagreed with us

We will me repugnicans, and libertards

We will met people

Whom we will need to work with, and worship with, and play with

If this county is going to experience

Hope

Friends

We will need each other

We will need to work together to solve the problems we all face

We will need to be deeply rooted in the Sacred

Deeply rooted in love

Deeply rooted in forgiveness

Friends we need each other

So the word for today

And the days to come

Is

reconciliation

May we be reconciled to the Sacred.

May we be reconciled to ourselves.

But above all

May we be reconciled,

To one another