Prayer for Dialouge with Greater Religions

I bow to the one who signs the cross.
I bow to the one who sits with the Buddha.
I bow to the one who wails at the wall.
I bow to the OM flowing in the Ganges.
I bow to the one who faces Mecca,
whose forehead touches holy ground.
I bow to dervishes whirling in mystical wind.
I bow to the north,
to the south,
to the east,
to the west.
I bow to the God within each heart.
I bow to epiphany,
to God’s face revealed.
I bow. I bow. I bow.

 

Prayer for Dialogue with Greater Religions
by Sister Mary Lou Kownacki

Being Present

"I’m not insisting that we be brimming with hope. It’s OK not to be optimistic. Buddhist teachings say feeling that you have to maintain hope can wear you out, so just be present.”

~Joanna Macy from "A Wild Love For the World"

Art of Living

"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both."     Zen Buddhist text

Truth

"You know the truth, because the truth works."   Buddha

Forgiveness

"To understand everything is to forgive everything."    Buddha

Lamps Unto Yourselvers

“Therefore, be ye lamps unto yourselves, be a refuge to yourselves.  Hold fast to Truth as a lamp; hold fast to the truth as a refuge.  Look not for a refuge in anyone beside yourselves.  And those, who shall be a lamp unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the truth as their refuge, they shall reach the topmost height.”   Buddha

Attachment

"You only lose that which you cling to." Buddha

Money

“There is no river like craving. Rivers can sometimes fill their banks, but the wants of human beings can never be filled…Even if money were to fall from the skies like rain, the sensual desires of human beings would not be satisfied.”  Buddha

Buddha's Wisdom

"Do not accept what you hear by report.  Do not accept tradition.  Do not accept a statement because it is found in our books, nor because it is in accord with your beliefs, nor because it is the saying of your teacher.  Be lamps unto yourselves."  Buddha (on his deathbed) 

Illusion

"A wise man, recognizing that the world is but an illusion, does not act as if it is real, so he escapes the suffering." ~The Buddha

Religion

"My true religion, my simple faith is in love and compassion. There is no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine, or dogma. Our own heart, our own mind, is the temple. The doctrine is compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are - these are ultimately all we need."~ the Dalai Lama

Buddhist Mind

The Tibetan Buddhists speak of 3 kinds of mind:
1.  Dull Mind: no spiritual interest
2.  Average Mind: Content with Dogma and blind faith
3.  Inquiring Mind: curious and filled with doubt

Attachment vs. Commitment

"While attachment has it's source in the personality, in what the Buddhists call the 'desire nature', commitment comes from the soul.   In relationship to life, just as in human relationships, attachment closes down options, commitment opens them up.  Modern life has made us people of attachment rather than people of commitment.   Attachment leads farther and farther into entrapment.   Commitment, though it may sometimes feel constricting, will ultimately lead to greater and greater degrees of freedom.   One can distinguish between the two in most situations by noticing over time whether one moves through this activity or relationship closer to freedom or closer to bondage.   Attachment is a reflex, an autonomic response which often may not reflect our deepest good.   Commitment is a conscious choice, to align ourselves with our most genuine values and our sense of purpose.   Survival in a setting of life threatening illness may involve a willingness to let go of everything but life itself."    Rachel Naomi Remen

The 5 Remembrances by Buddha

I am of the nature to grow old. There is no escaping growing old.
I am of the nature to ill health. There is no escaping ill health.
I am of the nature to die. There is no escaping death.
All that is dear to me and everything that I love are of the nature of change. There is no escaping being separated from them.
My deeds are my closest companion. I am the beneficiary of my deeds. My deeds are the ground upon which I stand.... See More

Change

"Unceasing change turns the wheel of life,
and so reality is shown in all it's many forms.
Dwell peacefully, as change itself
liberates all suffering sentient beings
and brings them great joy."
                              Buddhist Sutra

Buddha's Love

"This is Buddha's love: to see the reality of the other-not to project, not to dream, not to create an image, not try to fix the other according to your imagte.  Mind has to love and hate, and mind has to go on fighting between these two."   Osho

Understanding

"When all paradises are lost, when all desires drop, suddenly it is your innermost nature to be blissful.  For that nothing is needed.   Just understanding is enough.   The way of the Buddha is the way of understanding."   Osho

Buddha

"Buddha is not a theist.   He is not an atheist either, because he says, a few people believe that there is a God and a few people believe there is no God, but both are believers."  Osho

Buddha

"Buddha is the most shattering individual in the history of humanity.  He does not say to believe in anything.  He is an unbeliever and his religion is that of unbelief.  He does not say "believe", he says, "doubt"  Osho

God/Buddha

"God is nothing but a search for security, a search for safety, a search for shelter.   You believe in God, not because God is there; you believe in God because you feel helpless without that belief.  Even if there is no God, you  will invent one.   The temptation comes from your weakness.  It is a projection."  Buddha