Meditations for the Consolation of Tender Travelers
For when you see people unjustly suffering:
Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn:
for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek:
for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful:
for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart:
for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers:
for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3-10 - Jesus
***
When you need to cry out on behalf of all of us:
May the whole world enjoy
good health,
long life,
prosperity,
happiness and peace.
Om, shanti, shanti, shanti.
kundalini yoga master - vethathiri maharishi
Oh Almighty! May everybody be happy!
May all be free from ailments!
May we see what is auspicious!
May no one be subject to miseries!
Oh Almighty! May there be a Peace! Peace! Peace! Everywhere.
kathopanisada 2:6:19 - india - 1400 b.c.e.
***
When you need practical ideas to help those you meet on the way:
Wage peace with your breath
Breathe in firemen and rubble,
breathe out whole buildings and flocks of red wing blackbirds.
Breathe in terrorists
and breathe out sleeping children and freshly mown fields.
Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees.
Breathe in the fallen and breathe out lifelong friendships intact.
Wage peace with your listening: hearing sirens, pray loud.
Remember your tools: flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers.
Make soup.
Play music, memorize the words for thank you in three languages.
Think of chaos as dancing raspberries,
imagine grief
as the outbreath of beauty
or the gesture of fish.
Wage peace.
Never has the world seemed so fresh and precious:
Have a cup of tea and rejoice.
Act as if armistice has already arrived.
Celebrate today.
wage peace - judyth hill - september 12, 2001
***
When you're alone and wondering why peace is so hard to find. Why the market seller abuses you or the money changer shortchanges you:
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.
Chinese philosopher - lao-tse - 6th century bce
***
When you sleep well in your bed and cry for the souls who died in terror:
Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousands winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there. I did not die.
Mary Elizabeth Frye - 1932
***
When you need words of awareness and resolve:
Life is short and we have not too much time
for gladdening the hearts of those
who are traveling the dark way with us.
Oh, be swift to love! Make haste to be kind.
Henry Frederic Amiel - 1885
May your God, your Higher Spirit, your innateness... Lead you on a safe and worthwhile journey this year.
May our friends in Indonesia find a peaceful path to walk along, with shared love and prosperity.