This week Barbara was the facilitator for the session and we will enjoyed a reading on a better way to live without loneliness.
This is reproduced from Mindfulness Bell below
Her quotation for this week is from the man who was involved in setting up the Zen Hospice in San Fransisco .
“ Peace and stillness are not something you can create: instead, we notice them when we stop trying to make them happen” Frank Ostesseki
( A 21st Century rewording of The Discourse on Happiness composed by Order of Interbeing member David Viafora and published the autumn 2020 issue of THE MINDFULNESS BELL, the bi-monthly magazine of the international Plum Village community).
I heard these words of the Buddha one time when the Awakened One was staying at MorningSun Community in the Maple Grove near Lily Pond. Just around sunset, a deva appeared, whose light and beauty made the whole pond and all the star lilies shine radiantly. After paying respects to the Buddha, the deva asked him a question in the form of a verse:
“ Many women, gender queer, and men, those of African, Native American, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, latinx, Middle Eastern, European, and mixed descent are all eager to know, what are the ways to end loneliness, fear, and isolation during a global pandemic in order to bring about good friendships for a peaceful and happy life?
Please, Awakened One, will you teach us?”
This is the Buddha’s answer:
Not to be associated with foolish websites,
To be online in the company of wise people,
Zooming those who are worth Zooming,
This brings the greatest friendship.
To walk often in good environments,
To have planted good seeds in your garden or flower pots,
And to realise that you have many kinds of plant friends on your path,
This brings the greatest friendship.
To have a chance to learn and grow in more online Dharma classes than ever before,
To be skilful in calling and listening deeply to friends in need,
Practising kind speech, love letters, written cards, and sincere apologies often,
This brings the greatest friendship.
To be able to serve and support your parents and grandparents by not visiting or touching them,
To cherish your time online with your family,
And to have walking companions who bring you joy,
This brings the greatest friendship.
To sit alone intimately with a lake, tree, rock cloud, sunset or your breath,
Knowing they too are your true relatives and spiritual companions,
Living a life rich with appreciations and wondrous gratitudes,
This brings the greatest friendship.
To be honest about your daily screen time, and generous in time with others,
To offer your support to many human, animal and plant friends,
Living a life of blameless sanitation,
This brings the greatest friendship.
To be humble and polite, and mute yourself on Zoom,
To be grateful and content with a simple haircut,
Not missing the occasion to watch the most recent YouTube Dharma talk,
This brings the greatest friendship.
To avoid unwholesome news and crowded places,
Not caught by Facebook, Amazon, and other addictions,
And to be diligent in wearing your mask,
This brings the greatest friendship.
To live openly and honestly about one’s privileges and power,
To be grateful and content sharing resources and reparations,
Not missing the occasion to learn to become a better ally,
This brings the greatest friendship.
To persevere with six feet apart and be open to air high-fives,
To have regular contact with soil, compost, worms, flowers and vegetables,
And to fully participate in Sanghas on multiple continents,
This brings the greatest friendship.
To walk outside diligently, skipping often and joyfully,
To perceive that others need your kindness and joy right now too,
And to realise that you are not at all alone in this,
This brings the greatest friendship.
To live in the world of illness, dying, and physical isolation,
With your heart broken open by the world and ceaselessly healing,
With all hurts slowly forgiven, dwelling in gentle compassion for yourself and all beings,
This brings the greatest friendship.
For she, he or they who accomplish this,
Tenderly embracing loneliness and isolation within themselves,
Always they feel safe, included and empathetically connected;
Friendship lives within oneself.
Plymouth Sangha 