When Shakyamuni Buddha was faced with the greatest suffering of the world: illness, old age, death, one more I can't think of right now1, not only did he not break and fall to pieces, but instead was catalyzed towards liberation and enlightenment for all sentient beings.
Let the suffering of our world today catalyze our enlightenment.
Let it move us all towards that which is most deeply and unchangeably good in each of us.
Let it bring us pause, not reactivity.
And when it breaks us, let it break us open, open, open.
Let it break us open.
May we trust that our work now to alleviate the suffering of all beings will seed the fruit of a future in which we can all continue to move closer to that within us that is most sustaining, pure, and good. That we might meet anger and reactivity with peace, pure peace, nonviolence.
Let us trust that this is not only enough, but the only thing we can do, the only way we create a future in which all beings can be free of suffering.
Let us trust that the impossible is possible.
Let us bow down at the feet of one another.
Let us see only good in one another's hearts.
Let us find within the hard kernel of our enemies only pure light and good.
Let us see it.
We can see it.
“Shakyamuni was shocked and saddened by the sights of old age, sickness, and death. During his fourth outing, he saw a wandering monk, a seeker of religious truth. These four outings and what Shakyamuni saw (old age, sickness, death, and a seeker of religious truth) are called the ‘Four Sights.’” - the fourth sight I forgot was not a sight of great suffering, but of one working towards the hope of it’s alleviation. https://spice.fsi.stanford.edu/docs/introduction_to_buddhism
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