"The entire purpose of our Lord’s death was not to redeem us from sins, or for any other reason, but solely in order that the world might become aware of the love which God has for creation. Had all this astounding affair taken place solely for the purpose of the forgiveness of sin, it would have been sufficient to redeem us by some other means."
--Isaac the Syrian, Bishop of Nineveh, 7th century

The millions upon millions who have died in the folly of war (most of them were non-combatants or otherwise had no choice about participating). The lives destroyed, the immeasurable suffering that echoes down through generations, the self-perpetuating cycle of evil. Though we try to dress it up in flags and parades and rituals, war is not noble or honorable. It is humanity at our very worst. That is what I remember today.

-DC

 

"Simply put, enlightenment is the ability to accept the world exactly as it is, while simultaneously working to make it better. I like this definition because it’s extremely practical and has applications in everyday life."

--Alex Chong Do Thompson, The Reality is that Enlightenment is Simple, but My Ego Wants it to be Hard

"Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love."

--Rumi

"Why wait so long to enjoy the fruits of a fully awakened life? Shouldn’t we be living this way for as long as is possible, despite the constraints imposed by mortgages and college fees and all the drudgery of convention that surrounds us? I’ve always thought so, and not just for personal reasons, though it’s certainly more fulfilling—and more fun—to live a life that is deep instead of shallow. I think it also matters politically, because spirituality...is of enormous importance in the struggle for social change. This may sound odd given the common image of mystics as people who are removed from the world, but I’m convinced that spiritual experience is one of the keys to the radical transformation of society."

--Michael Edwards, The Mysticism of Wide Open Eyes

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction."

 

--Blaise Pascal

 

 

 

"One of the things we will discuss is the purchase of lots of beautiful military equipment because nobody makes it like the United States,” Donald Trump said regarding his visit to Saudi Arabia.

The U.S. has been the biggest arms dealer in the world for a long time. Trump is just continuing the very lucrative national business of turning plowshares into swords.

-DC

"Peace requires us to surrender our illusions of control."

--Jack Kornfield

"When you tell people the world is improving, they often look at you like you're either naive or crazy. But it's true. And once you understand it, you start to see the world differently. If you think things are getting better, then you want to know what’s working so you can accelerate the progress and spread it to more people and places. It doesn’t mean you ignore the serious problems we face. It just means you believe they can be solved, and you’re moved to act on that belief. This is the core of my worldview."

--Bill Gates 
https://www.good.is/articles/bill-gates-class-of-2017-essay

"As long as there is a lack of inner discipline that brings calmness of mind, no matter what external facilities or conditions you have, they will never give you the feeling of joy and happiness that you are seeking.  On the other hand, if you possess this inner quality, a calmness of mind, a degree of stability, within, then even if you lack various external facilities that you would normally consider necessary for happiness, it is still possible to live a happy and joyful life."

--The Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness

"We cannot see our reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see."

– Zen Saying

Kindness by Naomi Shihab Nye, 1952

 

Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.

"Just as a wave on the ocean is what the ocean is doing, you are what God is doing."
--Wayne Dyer

"There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning."

--Jiddu Krishnamurti

"We are in touch with the highest spirit in ourselves, we too are a Buddha, filled with the Holy Spirit, and we become very tolerant, very open, very deep, and very understanding."

--Thich Nhat Hanh

So come, my friends, be not afraid.
We are so lightly here.
It is in love that we are made;
In love we disappear.

--Leonard Cohen

"If the host would prepare the house, there is no doubt the Guest will come."

--Teresa of Avila

"A good end cannot sanctify evil means, nor must we ever do evil, that good may come of it."

--William Penn, 17th century Quaker and founder of Pennsylvania

"Looking back at this century a hundred years from now, I think that the subtle but very profound way that Buddhist wisdom and practices have entered the culture is going to be one of the big stories that is told."

--Krista Tippett