"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." – Martin Luther King, Jr.
" Hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed. This is the ancient and eternal law." – The Buddha
"Rest in natural great peace this exhausted mind, Beaten helpless by karma and neurotic thoughts
Like the relentless fury of the pounding waves In the infinite ocean of samsara. Rest in natural great peace." — Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche
ONLY CONNECT "Although E. M. Forster could hardly have intended that the epigraph to his novel Howards End—‘Only connect’—serve as a two-word distillation of the Buddha’s teachings, it certainly is a good, and timely, one. To connect across the differences that divide us; to connect by building bonds of affection, understanding, and support; to connect in the recognition that we and all things are inextricably, well, connected— in our age of accelerated travel and instant communication, doesn’t this simple phrase offer us a promising touchstone for Buddhist practice? Is not connection with others one of the surest ways to loosen the bonds of self-concern and to find one’s best way to act in the world? It is, as well, a wonderfully economical description of the basis, the means, and the fruit of the Buddha Way. Our differences do indeed matter, but they don’t matter as much as this: Only connect, and, in Forster’s words, ‘Live in fragments no longer.’" - Tricycle’s features editor, Andrew Cooper
BOOKS
Small Boat, Great Mountain Ajahn Amaro
Radical Acceptance Tara Brach
Awakening Through Love John Makransky
When Things Fall Apart - Start Where You Are - The Places That Scare You - Comfortable with Uncertainty - Taking the Leap Pema Chodron
POEMS
Sangha by Danna Faulds
Teach me what I cannot learn alone. Let us share what we know, and what we cannot fathom. Speak to me of mysteries, and let us never lie to one another.
May our fierce and tender longing fuel the fire in our souls. When we stand side by side, let us dare to focus our desire on the truth. May we be reminders, each for the other, that the path of transformation passes through the flames.
To take one step is courageous; to stay on the path day after day, choosing the unknown, and facing yet another fear, that is nothing short of grace.
