We are all fellow wayfarers

"Love, embracing all beings, knowing well that we are all fellow wayfarers through this round of existence - that we are all overcome by the same law of suffering."

-Nyanaponika Thera, The Four Sublime States

Find out for yourself what is real

Don't blindly believe what I say. Don't believe me because others convince you of my words.

Don't believe anything you see, read, or hear from others, whether of authority, religious teachers or texts.

Don't rely on logic alone, nor speculation. Don't infer or be deceived by appearances.

Do not give up your authority and follow blindly the will of others. This way will lead to only delusion.

Find out for yourself what is truth, what is real. Discover that there are virtuous things and there are non-virtuous things. Once you have discovered for yourself give up the bad and embrace the good.

-The Buddha

Trust each other to love

"If we want a path forward out of an oppressive society, we have to learn to trust that as human beings we are capable of being good and kind and loving to one another even when given full autonomy and freedom."

-Angi Becker Stevens

Be curious

"There's something in our heart that really wants union, that wants to connect with people, with life, with the world around us in a deep way. […] openness then, the first part of Right Attitude, is this process of discovery, of seeing what's here and opening to it, not trying to change it but seeing what's here and opening to it, not trying to change it but seeing clearly with mindfulness, without judging out fear, loneliness, aggression, joy, happiness, love, sorrow; our body, how we use it […] we learn about the forces of desire, of fear, of wanting, of love, that makes the whole world go round, and really runs our lives."

-Jack Kornfield, Eightfold Path for the Householder

Not knowing is the most intimate

“Relationship is not an event isolated from our spiritual practice. We're involved in a relationship because we're on our path. We have a practice and somehow our relationship has become part of our practice. It’s not something different from our practice. It’s not this thing over there that makes me happy so I can have a practice over here. It’s not the other thing that pays the rent or gets me laid. It’s part of practice.” 

-John Tarrant for Lion's Roar

Restore peace within yourself

"The object of your practice should first of all be yourself. Your love for the other person, your ability to love the other person, depends on your ability to love yourself."

-Thich Nhat Hahn

Give

"Give more than you think you can, trusting you are richer than you think. […] sharing the fullness of your being, your best self, your enthusiasm, your vitality, your spirit, your trust, your openness, above all, your presence." 

- Jon Kabat-Zinn

Sunset

You become the company you keep

As a flood sweeps away a slumbering village, death sweeps away those who spend their lives gathering flowers. Death sweeps them away while they are still gathering, caught in the pursuit of pleasure. But the wise live without injuring nature, as the bee drinks nectar without harming the flower.

If you find no one to support you on the spiritual path, walk alone. There is no companionship with the immature. [...] The immature who know they are immature have a little wisdom. But the immature who look on themselves as wise are utterly foolish.

Better to live in strength and wisdom for one day than to lead a weak and idle life for a hundred  years.

As irrigators guide water to their fields, as archers aim arrows, as carpenters carve wood, the wise shape their lives.

-from the Dhammapada

We are all longing

"We are all longing to go home to some place we have never been — a place half-remembered and half-envisioned - we can only catch glimpses of from time to time. Community. Somewhere, there are people to whom we can speak with passion without having the words catch in our throats. Somewhere a circle of hands will open to receive us, eyes will light up as we enter, voices will celebrate with us whenever we come into our own power. Community means strength that joins our strength to do the work that needs to be done. Arms to hold us when we falter. A circle of healing. A circle of friends. Someplace where we can be free."

-Starhawk, Building Community

Blessed are those

Blessed are those who yearn for deepening more than escape; who are not afraid to grow in spirit.

Blessed are those who take seriously the bonds of community; who regularly join in celebration and learning; who come as much to care for others as to receive care for themselves.

Blessed are those who bring their children; who invite their friends to come along, to join in fellowship, service, learning, and growth.

Blessed are those who support their community and its work by their regular, sustained, and generous giving; and who give of themselves no less than their money.

Blessed are those who know that the world is often imperfect, yet rather than harbor feelings of anger or disappointment, remain mindful, honest, and open with others in their concerns and needs.

Blessed are those who when asked to serve, do it gladly; who realize that change is brought about through human meeting, who share in the work that needs to be done, and stay till the end.

Blessed are those who speak their minds while remaining open-minded, who can take and give criticism; who keep alive their sense of humor.

Blessed are those who know that the work of each individual, each relationship, and each community, is the transformation of society; who have a vision within and transcending the present, and who do not shrink for controversy, sacrifice, or change.

Blessed are they indeed.


-adapted from John Buehrens "Blessed are those", Unitarian Universalist Responsive Reading #728