“To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and
the affection of children;
To earn the approbation of honest critics and endure
the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To give of one’s self;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition;
To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and
sung with exultation;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you
have lived –
This is to have succeeded.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882), writer and Unitarian minister, born on this day

“The outward work will never be puny if the inward work is great. And the outward work can never be great or even good if the inward one is puny or of little worth. The inward work invariably includes in itself all expansiveness, all breadth, all length, all depth. Such a work receives and draws its being from nowhere else except from and in the heart of God…

All works are surely dead if anything from the outside compels you to work… If your works are to live, then God must move you from the inside, from the innermost region of the soul – then they will really live.”

Meister Eckhart (c. 1260 – c. 1328), quoted in Christian Mystics by Matthew Fox

Vesak (Buddha Day)

“Buddha taught that everybody—every living being without exception—has the potential to awaken… Buddha for me is that awakened mind itself—that totally open, unbiased, unprejudiced mind and heart. I resonate with that, and I come back again and again to that mind and heart as the motivating factor of my life. I think of that as—if you use the word ‘Christ consciousness’—’Buddha consciousness’ or ‘Buddha-nature.’”

Pema Chödrön

“As the spring planting season comes to a close, say a prayer of gratitude for the softness of the earth. A perfectly solid and impermeable tract of land would allow no access for the plow or the trowel, no nurturing crevice or cranny for seeds to enter and take root.

The lesson applies to ourselves as well. Some of us insist on perfection and cultivate seamless exteriors, flawless emotional surfaces that attract admiration. But without allowing for imperfections and admitting weaknesses and vulnerabilities we will never grow. Like the earth, we require a certain invasion by others in order to make the most of our potential. Don’t be too shiny and hard; let ideas take root in you.”

From Earth Bound: Daily Meditations For All Seasons by Brian Nelson

“Just by breathing in and out and smiling, we have a flower to offer. The more we practice breathing and smiling, the more beautiful our flower will become. A flower doesn’t have to do anything to be of service, it only has to be a flower. That is enough. Being truly there is enough to make the whole world rejoice. So please practice breathing in and out and recover your flowerness. You do it for all of us. Your freshness and joy bring us peace.”

From Peace is This Moment by Thích Nhất Hạnh

World Bee Day

“Traversing the fields,
a bee gathers the ingredients for honey.
Traversing the ages,
the soul infuses sweetness into the mind.
The stars are hidden when the sun rises,
and thoughts vanish when
the intellect returns to its own realm.
Raindrops moisten the furrows,
just as tear-laden sighs,
rising from the heart,
soften the soul’s state during prayer.
Simply speaking of the laws of nature
arouses deep admiration.
But when they are fully understood,
they are like fields full of flowers,
whose lavish blossoms give out
a spiritual sweetness like nectar from heaven.
Bees surround their queen
among fresh meadow-flowers.
And angelic powers surround and assist
a soul that is constantly in a
state of loving concentration,
for the soul is kindred to them.”

Ilias the Presbyter (11th century Turkey)

“What happens to another, whether it be a joy or a sorrow, happens to me.”

Meister Eckhart (c. 1260 – c. 1328), quoted in Christian Mystics by Matthew Fox

“Dear dirt, I am sorry I slighted you,
I thought that you were only the background
for the leading characters – the plants
and animals and human animals.
It’s as if I had loved only the stars
and not the sky which gave them space
in which to shine. Subtle, various,
sensitive, you are the skin of our terrain,
you’re our democracy. When I understood
I had never honoured you as a living
equal, I was ashamed of myself,
as if I had not recognized
a character who looked so different from me,
but now I can see us all, made of the
same basic materials –
cousins of that first exploding from nothing –
in our intricate equation together. O dirt,
help us to find ways to serve your life,
you who have brought us forth, and fed us,
and who at the end will take us in
and rotate with us, and wobble, and orbit.”

Ode to Dirt by Sharon Olds

“When we feel that we’re fragile, not stable or solid, we can come back to ourselves and take refuge in the earth. With each step we can feel her solidity beneath our feet. When we’re truly in touch with the earth, we can feel her supportive embrace and her stability. We use our whole body and mind to go back to the earth and surrender ourselves to her. With each breath we release all our agitation, our fragility, and our suffering. Just being aware of her benevolent presence can already bring relief.”

From Peace is This Moment by Thích Nhất Hạnh

International Day of Living Together in Peace

“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”

Albert Einstein