When despair grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting for their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
~ Wendell Berry ~

~

let’s meet in a field

seeing true nature everywhere

being lovingkindness

~

yes, today let’s celebrate the full moon in the buddhist way with metta, lovingkindness, a practice so called for in these turbulent times for it involves involves concentrating and reciting, either silently or out loud, phrases of good wishes, good will toward ourself and others to purify us of hatred, ill will and enmity…

when we practice good will, we remove fear and negative reactivity from our mind re-membering at some point everyone has been our mother…

so let’s begin the practice with good will toward ourself… May I be safe and protected from physical and mental harm. May I be strong and healthy and enjoy well-being. May I be peaceful and truly happy. May I live my life with more joy and ease…

now extend those good wishes to those whom we like, family, mentors, good friends, and others… May you be safe and protected from physical and mental harm. May you be strong and healthy. May you be peaceful and happy. May you live with joy and ease…

Thay has said, “While it is easy to love the lovable, it may be the unlovable who need our love more.” so the next stage is to express good will, to the extent you can, toward someone who has caused you some slight injury; to the extent possible, extend these good wishes toward people who have caused you more pain, and to institutions and organizations that have caused you, your family, or your community pain and suffering…

finally, extend metta to all living beings in the universe… visualize yourself as a kind of lighthouse, with good will and lovingkindness streaming out from your heart and body in every direction, including up and down being 360 degrees of metta… May all beings be safe and protected from harm. May each and every being without exception be strong and healthy. May all living beings be peaceful and know true happiness. May each and every living being without exception live their lives with more joy and ease. And together may we complete the great journey of awakening liberation in all our relatives…

may we all rest in grace and feel  free…