Meditations October 2020
As we prepared for our 2020 elections, we recognized the need to pray and meditate fervently. We began posting thoughts to help guide, focus, and inspire all who sought to pray, meditate, and light their candles during this season. Today, we continue to post meditations in the same spirit which led us to begin this effort. Below, please scroll through our collection of multi-faith perspectives to help you prepare your heart and spirit, uplift you, and encourage you through the days ahead. Together, let us seek to bring Healing within our relationships and country, as well as support for issues of Justice and Peace.
Day #38
10/31/2020: FOR COURAGE
by John O'Donohue, and read by The Rev. David Baumgart Turner (see video below)
We have been honored with permission by the John O’Donohue Literary Estate to present an especially meaningful and timely poem for this Saturday before Election Day in the USA, 2020.
FOR COURAGE
When the light around you lessens
And your thoughts darken until
Your body feels fear turn
Cold as a stone inside,
When you find yourself bereft
Of any belief in yourself
And all you unknowingly
Leaned on has fallen,
When one voice commands
Your whole heart,
And it is raven dark,
Steady yourself and see
That it is your own thinking
That darkens your world.
Search and you will find
A diamond-thought of light,
Know that you are not alone,
And that this darkness has purpose;
Gradually it will school your eyes,
To find the one gift your life requires
Hidden within this night-corner.
Invoke the learning
Of every suffering
You have suffered.
Close your eyes.
Gather all the kindling
About your heart
To create one spark
That is all you need
To nourish the flame
That will cleanse the dark
Of its weight of festered fear.
A new confidence will come alive
To urge you towards higher ground
Where your imagination
will learn to engage difficulty
As its most rewarding threshold!
John O'Donohue was born and reared by a Gaelic-speaking farm family in Ireland. His passion for thinking and writing led him to studies for the priesthood, while he maintained his close relationship to nature and Celtic Christianity. He died unexpectedly in 2008 at the age of 52. For more about his remarkable life, please visit:
https://www.johnodonohue.com/about
The Rev. David Baumgart Turner is pastor at Church of the Crossroads in Honolulu. You can often find him pinching himself as he contemplates the fact that the church he grew up admiring from afar as a teenager in Honolulu decided decades later to call him to be their pastor. It is with joy that he serves alongside the many members of this Open and Affirming, Just Peace, Green-focused congregation. He and his wife, Kirsten, have been advocates for just and sustainable living and polices their entire married life together. They love any opportunity to be in the water, on the trails, and glorying in the wonders of Godʻs Creation.
The Rev. David Baumgart Turner of Church of the Crossroads in Honolulu, Hawai`i, reads the poem, "For Courage," by poet/philosopher, John O'Donohue.
ONE TREE - enjoy this video performed by 88 Baha`i musicians from 25 countries around the globe! The text of their song is based on holy words written by Baha`u`llah, and set to music by musician, Ali Youseffi (see below). We are so grateful to Ali for sharing his music with us on our website!
Meet the musician who wrote One Tree...
Ali Youseffi, whose music video appears above, has been surrounded by music his entire life. Having had the chance to live in several places around the world, he has been exposed to numerous musical expressions, many of which find a place in his compositions. Ali studied classical guitar in Chile before moving to Argentina to pursue a degree in Music Therapy. His musical curiosity and love for diversity combine to make him a versatile and original composer and performer, blending genres, instruments and cultures into a unique sound. His biggest delight comes when uniting people through music, which he strives for in all his musical endeavors. As a Bahá'í, Ali has, from a young age, drawn inspiration from the sacred and mystical writings of his faith that reflect on the purpose of our creation, the underlying unity of all religions and hence the oneness of humanity, and the effort we need to make to transform the reality we live in.
Day #37
10/30/2020: BE AS ONE SOUL
from Bahá’u’lláh, Prophet Founder of the Baha`i Faith
read by Linda Kavelin Popov (see video below)
O CHILDREN OF MEN! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory.
from Baha`u`llah, Prophet Founder of the Baha'i Faith
https://reference.bahai.org/en/t/b/HW/hw-69.html Retrieved 10/29/2020
Bahá'í Reference Library - The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Page 20
The words of Bahá’u’lláh are read above by Linda Kavelin-Popov, a psychotherapist, hospice spiritual care doula and an international speaker on personal and global transformation. She is co-founder of The Virtues Project, endorsed by His Holiness, The Dalai Lama and the United Nations. Linda has authored seven books, including the best-selling Family Virtues Guide and A Pace of Grace. She was named a “Cultural Creative” by Time Magazine and looks forward to the upcoming publication of her most recent book, "Dreaming at the Crossroads of Change."
Day #36
10/29/2020: HONORING OUR VETERANS
by Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld (see video below)
Eight days after Election Day, November 11, 2020 will mark the 102nd anniversary of the cease fire that ended World War I. The next year, President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11 to be Armistice Day and in 1956, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all those who served in and survived WWI, WWII and Korea. When Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Martin Luther King Day and Labor Day were deemed to always be celebrated on a Monday, Veterans Day was deemed so important, remained on it’s actual date of November 11.
Keeping Veterans Day on November 11, however, seems to relegate it to a minor celebration. It rarely creates a three day weekend. Thankfully, Veterans Day sales are rare. It’s in November so few people picnic or Bar-B-Que. Some few people reach out to veterans in the families or to their friends who served in our military. How then do we best observe Veterans Day?
Reach out to any veterans you know. Instead of just saying “thank you for your service,” reflect with them on the importance of the freedoms and rights they fought to uphold: Free speech; Freedom of religion; Protection from warrantless searches…. If you do not have a veteran to reach out to, reflect on those freedoms yourself. Most importantly, 8 days before Veterans Day, VOTE! Honor our veterans by exercising our greatest freedom, our greatest right, our greatest privilege and participate in the democracy they helped preserve.
Our veterans stood up for us. We best honor them by standing up for and using our freedom, our rights by actively participating in our representative democracy. VOTE. VOTE in person, VOTE absentee and mail in or drop off you ballot.
Shalom uv’racha, Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld
Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld has served congregations in Memphis, TN, Anchorage AK, Buffalo, NY, and now in Albuquerque, NM. Throughout his career, Rabbi Rosenfeld has been active in Social Justice work and voter registration.
Rabbi Harry Rosenfeld reminds us of the upcoming Veterans Day Holiday on November 11th -- and how important it is that we honor our veterans by VOTING, just eight days before this observance.
Day #35
10/28/2020: CAN IT GET ANY DARKER?
by The Rev. Dr. Richard F. Ward (see video below)
Text based on Matthew 14:22-33
I tell this story because the climax of its plot happens
In the darkest part of the night, between 3-6 in the morning.
It tells us that the disciples have endured a long long night
Of being beaten and battered by a force of nature.
They feel helpless in its grip, and they are afraid of it.
I have been holding these images in prayer these days.
I too have felt beaten and battered not only by fear of a virus
But by every daily outrage, every spike in the number of cases,
By every report of a rising death toll and the fear of having to endure
Four more years—and maybe more—I wonder:
“Can the night get any darker?
Can the temperature of our outrage
And fear rise any higher?”
I recently read an article that made the claim:
Americans are suffering from political exhaustion.
That seems about right.
This story reminds us that God has a good sense of timing.
Precisely at the moment when the disciples are overwhelmed
Jesus comes towards them, unhindered by a force of nature
Or even by human disbelief.
He comes to them in a way they don’t
Recognize at first. But he comes towards them anyway—
Like I believe he is coming towards us as he does in the story.
First with the assurance—yes, it really is Jesus the Christ—coming
In a manner that we don’t recognize at first even in a way that defies
Belief—then with an invitation—don’t be afraid to take that first step—
Go ahead—make that call to the senator—go on that march—
Give the neighbor a call to remind them to vote—even go stand in line
To vote yourself—proudly display the yard sign—make another
Contribution—rest assured that a move towards justice
Is a move towards the Christ
What if you start to move in Jesus’ direction but then you start to sink in fear and despair when the polls come out
and the returns start coming in?
Don’t worry, says the story,
Christ will be there to lift you up.
The Rev. Dr. Richard Finley Ward is an American storyteller and the Fred B. Craddock Professor of Preaching at Phillips Theological Seminary. He has held prior positions at Candler School of Theology, Yale Divinity School, and Iliff School of Theology. He is an ordained minister with the United Church of Christ.
The Rev. Dr. Richard F. Ward shares a meditation based on Matthew 14:22-33. "Can it get any darker?" he asks.
Day #34
The Rev. Danette Kong is a Shine Your Light Team Member who provides this meditation, based on a paraphrase of the 23rd Psalm, written by a Japanese woman in the 1960s.
10/27/2020: Psalm 23
by The Rev. Danette Kong (see video above)
In these last few days leading up to the Election, there are a lot of emotions I am experiencing, and probably you are, too. There’s a bit of "churning" within, and I don’t know whether to interpret it as a sense of “Impending Doom” or “Impending Celebration.”
If there is anything we have learned over these past four years in America, it is that nothing exterior is in our control. We can stand up, speak out, write letters and postcards, donate to candidates, protest, call our senators, meet and encourage one another. And, we certainly can pray and meditate together. But sometimes, those efforts can seem futile, and we can become discouraged when we witness the shenanigans of those around us and in our government.
So, this website was created as a means for us of like minds to connect. Even though we may be separated by thousands of geographical miles,
1) We share in mutual goals for peace and justice in America;
2) We long for civility and mutuality,
3) We hope for
*a reckoning,
*restoration, and
*a healing of our country.
But as we negotiate the ups and downs which are expected over these next few days, and in the weeks and months to come:
1) How shall we center ourselves?
2) Where shall we find our sense of strength and the will to persist?
The writer of the 23rd Psalm used the allegory of a good and kind Shepherd - in Hawaiian, the word is, "Ke Kahuhipa" ("The Shepherd") -- to help us envision the caring Presence of the Divine in our lives. As a minister, I have read this passage of scripture countless times – in the hospital, at memorial services, or at the bedsides of dying individuals and their loved ones...and for those who were very alone.
Today, I’d like us to recall that passage of Scripture, with the intention of it being something to steady and focus the beating of our hearts. But instead of reading those familiar words, I want to share with you a paraphrase of the Psalm, written by a Japanese woman in the 1960s. We don’t even know her real name, because it has come up in our research as either, “Taki,” or, “Toki” Miyashina. But the words she wrote express a sense of franticness, and busyness much like to what we have become accustomed in our society all these sixty years later.
Ms. Miyashina took Psalm 23 and refashioned it to become even more meaningful for herself. I hope as you hear her words, they can apply to whatever sense of underlying tension you may be experiencing this week:
The Lord is my Pace-setter; I shall not rush.
He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals.
He provides me with images of stillness, which restore my serenity.
He leads me in ways of efficiency through calmness of mind, and His guidance is peace.
Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day,
I will not fret for His presence is here.
His timelessness, His all-importance will keep me in balance.
He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity by anointing my mind with His oils of tranquility;
My cup of joyous energy overflows.
Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hours.
And I shall walk in the pace of my Lord and dwell in His house forever.
May we continue to sense the Presence, the Tranquility, and the Comfort of the Divine through whatever we face in all the days ahead. Please continue to Shine and Share your Light.
Aloha `oukou. Peace be with you.
The Rev. Danette Kong is a retired hospital chaplain, an ordained minister with the United Church of Christ and a member of Keawala`i Congregational Church on Maui. She was born and reared on the island of O`ahu. After studies in Oklahoma and Kentucky, she has served as a health care chaplain in Hawai`i. She feels incredibly blessed to be a member of the Shine Your Light team and to have this opportunity to connect with people of LIGHT in Hawai`i and around the world.
Day #33 - 10/26/2020:
A Message of Peace and Encouragement
Editor’s Note: This is a departure from our usual format of presenting meditations. We received this special message from the leader of the Muslim community in France. It is important that the community of Shine Your Light – those who have created meditations, art, and music, and each who has offered our full hearts in prayer and meditation – recognize the impact of our intentions and connections with the world at large, as well as our own country. Dr. Ellen Caringer, psychologist and neuropsychologist on Maui, and also a member of our Shine Your Light Team, introduces those who have sent this message to reach each member of the Shine Your Light community (this means YOU!). What you are doing matters!
by Imam Hassen Chalghoumi, introduced by Ellen Caringer, PhD (see video above)
In 2018 while visiting in Paris, my husband and I received an unexpected invitation to dinner through our dear friend, concert pianist, Nathalia Romanenko. Our host for the meal was Marek Halter, renowned Parisian artist and author, the founder of the International Committee for a Negotiated Peace Agreement in the Near East, and a man who played a crucial role in organizing the first official meetings between Palestinians and Israelis. He invited us to a dinner at the Municipal Drancy Mosque, near Paris.
It was there that we were honored to meet Imam Hassen Chalghoumi, the imam of the 2000-member Drancy Mosque. We watched as prominent rabbis, imams, and members of the French Parliament gathered to work on issues of peace in their community.
Both Marek Halter and Imam Hassen Chalghoumi are leaders internationally and in France, seeking peace between the Muslim and Jewish communities of faith. They have worked tirelessly with prominent rabbis and imams seeking to find ways to prevent the radicalization of children and youth in their community. This work, particularly in Imam Chalghoumi’s case, often means he lives with threats to his life and that of his family. But he fearlessly persists, as can be seen in the article linked below, where he and Marek Halter attend the funeral of Samuel Paty, the teacher recently murdered by terrorists in Paris.
Today we are incredibly blessed that Imam Chalghoumi took time to encourage us in our work for peace and social justice that supports and celebrates diversity.
Here are the his words in French and in English:
“Je m’appelle Hassen Chalghoumi et je suis président de la Conférence des Imams de France. Je tiens à vous féliciter pour votre campagne en faveur de la paix et de la différence. Le Coran dit 'Ô vous qui croyez! Entrez tous dans la paix.' (Sourate II, 208) Merci encore pour votre action.”
A Translation:
"My name is Hassen Chalghoumi and I am the President of the French Conference of Imams. I want to congratulate you on your efforts to pursue peace and to make a difference. The Koran states, 'Oh you who believe! Enter all in peace.' (Holy Quran: 2, 208)"
Imam Hassen Chalghoumi (at center, wearing the white skullcap and carrying the white rose) and Marek Halter (second from right) attend the funeral of Samuel Paty, the teacher recently murdered by terrorists in Paris.
For more information regarding the response of Imam Chalghoumi to last week's death of French teacher, Samuel Paty, please visit: HASSEN CHALGHOUMI - Reuters
Day #32
10/25/2020: SHINE YOUR LIGHT!
by The Rev. Dr. Scott Landis (see video below)
Here's a special treat for na keiki (the children) -- as well as all you adults out there.
The Rev. Dr. Scott Landis, a member of our SHINE YOUR LIGHT TEAM, has prepared an exuberant meditation for us all! He shares the inspirational story of how the beloved chorus, "This Little Light of Mine," became a favorite tune sung by marchers during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
Please join Kahu (Pastor) Scott and sing along!
The Rev. Scott Landis has served in pastoral ministry for over forty years. He has pastored churches in Colorado and California. On March 1, 2020, he began his post as Interim Pastor at Keawala`i Congregational (UCC) Church on Maui just two weeks before the pandemic closed the church's doors! He is also an avid swimmer and yoga practitioner, and takes time to enjoy the beauty of nature during times of solitude and meditation. Kahu Scott keeps shining his own Light, and encouraging others to do the same. He and his husband, Randy Spicocchi, live in Kihei, Hawai`i.
SHINE YOUR LIGHT TEAM member, The Rev. Dr. Scott Landis, provides this Keiki (Child)-Time Meditation about the origins of the song, "This Little Light of Mine."
Day #31
10/24/2020: THE LIGHT SWITCH
by The Rev. Dr. David Popham (see video below)
The light switch is the most innocuous feature on the wall.
The switch is often is the same color as the wall itself for the expressed purpose to go unnoticed so as not to interrupt our line of vision.
Yet, as I step into a room, the light switch is the first thing I search out. If it happens to be a darkened room, I give full effort to locating these switches. And once I’m bathed in the comfort of the light emitted from buzzing tubes and bulbs I will once again ignore the switch which just moments before was the solution to my unease.
Switches, we must remember, do not turn themselves on. It takes an effort from us to activate the switch. Without this effort the room remains in shadows no matter the number of light switches banked on the wall.
May we, O God, be the source of the effort to turn on the switches. May we become effortful in turning on the lights of kindness and civil discourse. May we become effortful in turning on the switch of love and respect for wellbeing.
May our efforts light the room we have entered. And by illuminating the room provide the space where others are at ease as they find themselves comforted by the light.
The Rev. Dr. David Popham grew up in Kentucky where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Knowledge from the University of the Cumberlands and his Master of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was ordained as an American Baptist and granted Privilege of Call by the Eastern Association of the Southern California/Southern Nevada Conference, UCC in 1995. After serving a United Church of Christ in Utah, he became Associate Conference Minister with the Rocky Mountain Conference, and then for the Central Atlantic Conference, UCC.
David received his Doctor of Ministry Degree from Lancaster Theological Seminary and was elected by the 2019 Hawai’i Conference Aha Pae’āina as Conference Minister. He is married to Kerrie Shahan and they make their home in Kailua, on the island of O`ahu in Hawai`i. They have two grown daughters.
The Rev. Dr. David Popham provides a reading of his Meditation, "The Light Switch."
Day #30
10/23/2020: TEACH US, LOVING CREATOR
by Sister Judi Moran, SSA
Creator and sustainer and lover of each of us,
* We watch in our imaginations as you create each person, each one unique: varying in color, different sexual orientations, into various colors and cultures, each with unique gifts, each in your image, each precious in your sight;
*We watch as you deeply love each person. (Watch God look on each person with great tenderness, especially those different from you.)
Teach us, loving Creator, to love each one, seeing with Your eyes and loving with Your heart. (Take your time contemplating each person, God loving them and you joining God in loving them. You may want to use photos of people from cultures, economic states, sexual orientation, color that are different from you.)
Help each of us to live our lives out of this meditation.
Amen
Judi Morin, Sister of St. Ann, Victoria, B.C. Canada and co-author of "NVC Toolkit for Facilitators". Sr. Judi provided chaplaincy at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, followed by 26 years as a prison chaplain with the Correctional Service of Canada and Center for Nonviolent Communication certified trainer.
Day #29
10/22/2020: GRACE
as performed by the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus
We have been honored with permission from the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus to post this masterful, sensitive performance, conducted by Dr. Tim Seelig. It is of the familiar text, "Amazing Grace," but set to the tune: "O Waly Waly," set to a stunning arrangement by composer/arranger, Mark Hayes. Pay particular interest to the third verse, which reminds us of moments in life when we have moved from surviving to thriving. As we offer our meditations and prayers, may we recognize that Hope lies deeply in our hearts, and GRACE is already leading us and our beloved country to a thriving, healthy future .
TEXT by John Newton, 1700s slave ship captain, who left his career to become a clergyman:
1) Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch, a wretch like me;
I once was lost, but now am found; I once was blind, but now I see.
2) ’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and that same grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear the hour when I first believed.
3) Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already safely come;
This grace hath brought me safe this far, and surely, grace will lead me home.
(I shall go home)
4) When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the glorious sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than since the day we first begun.
Tim Seelig, conductor
Mark Hayes, composer/arranger
Day #28
10/21/2020: NA HULIAU
by The Reverend Dr. Robert W. Nelson (see video below)
Most of the changes we experience in life take place over a long time, and we only see their effect after-the-fact, like moving from childhood to adulthood.
And others seem to hit us right between the eyes but affect us over a long period of time. Like, remember where you were and how you felt when you first received news on 9/11? Or when the 2008 Recession really hit home? Or when the impact of this pandemic began to sink in?
Those are powerful and defining moments between what has been and what hasn't yet been able to be formed. There is a unique word in Hawaiian: na huliau, times of change, when we look back and can't yet see ahead. And they're hard.
One of those moments for me was when I was 19 years old and I was standing on top of this shear 500 foot cliff on the Jungfrau in Austria that I'd summited. I felt so thrilled and proud of myself, just like a 19 year old! And then, after enjoying my accomplishment and the incredible mountain top vista for a long time, I looked down and tried to not to panic as I had to force myself to take the first step off that totally vertical mountain cliff. That was huliau and it was a life-changing moment!
For seven months, you and I've lived in na huliau. It is one of the most powerful and defining moments in our lives and our nation's history, even in world history. It's like we summited and viewed horizons back before this all began. And we’ve been stuck looking down ever since and trying not to succumb to inactivity and boredom, on the one hand, and frustration and panic on the other. We’re in unknown territory with a whole lot of unease. And it's often unpredictable and confusing.
We're cut off from loved ones and friends, from worshipping and feasting together, and looking to the day when we can be back together again, hugging, laughing, eating and sharing. We're caught in the middle between our first shock in February and March and wondering and worrying about how and when this part of our journey will be over. We find ourselves worrying about the virus and the vaccines, at risk of depression and despair, and at risk of putting our faith in phony theories or faithless persons in the hopes of calming our fears.
These hard, but defining, transitional times for us, na huliau, have taken away many of the things that define our days and our lives, the things that give a sense of well-being.
And yet, I believe—and I would hope that you too believe--that each and every huliau also gives us a possibility, in fact, an opportunity, to take a FIRST STEP and to put our whole selves into it, to imagine new ways of living, to try on new, creative routines and practices and projects. For some of us who are out of work, it becomes a time, maybe, to consider and to take on even new kinds of work. It certainly requires us to consider new and different ways of living our days. Living in the present raises faith to a PROFOUND TRUST that God is working and moving even when things seem to be going nowhere.
I believe that this huliau is a time of letting go of unhelpful or imagined thinking. It is a time for healing. It is a time for gaining insight, a time for creativity and for thinking outside the box. I believe this huliau is the time to dare to take a first step.
The Reverend Dr. Robert W. Nelson is a retired priest in the Episcopal Church, a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska, and resides in Hawai'i on the Island of Maui. He is an active Associate Member of Keawala'i Congregational Church (UCC) in Makena. He is also a member of the Shine Your Light Team.
Day #27
10/20/2020: The Panic Architecture of Modern Life
by The Rev. Kerry Kiyohara
The level of anxiety, anger, and rage in our society seems to reach new heights on a daily basis. Many people feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and emotionally drained, and yet cannot stop consuming media and reacting with powerful negative emotions.
The key strategy of advertising and propaganda is to introduce the FUD Factor—Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt—into the hearts and minds of the target consumer. This is done by a deep understanding of the psychology and physiology of human Needs, Wants, and Desires, or as we would say in Buddhism, our ego-centric and selfish “blind passions” that cause suffering for ourselves and others.
Simply put, if I understand what you consciously, subconsciously or unconsciously need, want, or desire, I can trigger in you a "panic" reaction—anxiety, anger, and rage. Then, I can manipulate your thoughts, emotions, physical state, and actions — and then sell you something, whether a political agenda ("propaganda") , a new product ("advertising"), or simply escapism ("entertainment").
The "media," including "news" and "entertainment" is fundamentally designed to deliver advertising and propaganda to a specifically targeted consumer, then trigger economically or politically useful responses.
Smartphones mean we are constantly connected by seemingly useful apps, platforms, and services that in fact are specifically architected to trigger panic reactions, leading to so-called smartphone addiction, FOMO (fear of missing out), and “doom-scrolling.”
The neurophysiology of fear, uncertainty, doubt, anxiety, angst, and rage is well-understood and exploited by the "elite" of society, corporations, advertising agencies, politicians, activists, and sadly even religious and spiritual leaders.
Buddhism teaches that our “blind passions,” exemplified by the Three Poisons of Greed, Anger, and Delusion, are rooted in our fundamentally self-centered and egotistical human nature. The 108 Blind Passions are the cause of suffering, discontent, and despair in human life, and hinder our ability to see reality-as-it-is.
The Buddhist Path helps people awaken to reality-as-it-is, not reality-as-my-Ego-wants-it-to-be, and thus become liberated from the bondage of selfishness, so as to alleviate suffering for all people and living beings without discrimination or judgement.
Buddhist temples traditionally aspire to be centers of connection, community, and compassion, a place of refuge from the chaos of the modern world, a place of active learning, deep hearing of the Dharma, and quiet self-reflection.
It is said that the opposite of addiction is connection. Addiction to the Ego-Self is caused by a disconnection from reality, from who we truly are, from our humanity.
It is our hope "religion" returns to its original meaning of "re-connection" with reality-as-it-is, with the true and real self, and with the greater community of humanity.
The essence of the Buddha-Dharma is hearing, living, and sharing the Teachings, and walking together with honorable friends and fellow travelers on the Buddhist Path.
Guided by Compassion and illuminated by the Light of Wisdom working in our lives, we naturally become humbly grateful and we are empowered to share the joy of each moment of this unrepeatable life.
The Buddha-Dharma is how we can learn to ignore the Panic Architecture of modern life, re-connect with reality-as-it-is, and thus break free from the bondage of selfishness.
Mahalo for listening today. May your day be filled with Aloha!
I would like to leave you with some thoughts on dealing with anger:
The Buddhist Path: Dealing with Anger
When you get so angry
you don’t know what to say,
say, “I’m sorry”
When you get so angry
you don’t know what to do,
be kind and gentle
When you get so angry
you don’t know what to think,
be grateful
Anger is a mirror
reflecting what is inside
of you, just as you are
Anger is the delusion
that life will unfold
the way you want
Anger is a shadow
created by the light
illuminating the way to wisdom
Awakening to the world as-it-is
washes away anger
like teardrops in the rain
The Rev. Kerry Kiyohara is resident minister of Makawao Hongwanji Buddhist Temple on the island of Maui in Hawaii.
Kerry was tokudo ordained in 2016, graduated Chuo Bukkyo Gakuin Seminary in Kyoto and was certified as a kyōshi teacher in the Jōdo Shinshū Hongwanji tradition in 2018.
He previously worked as CEO, COO, CMO, consultant, and copywriter in the advertising agency business and start-up ventures in Los Angeles, Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, and Honolulu.
Rev. Kerry was born and raised in Los Angeles and graduated with BA and MBA degrees from the University of Southern California. He speaks native English, fluent Japanese, basic Spanish, survival Chinese, and struggles with "da kine pidgin Hawaiian Creole English." He is married to Mimy and is delighted to be called “grandpa” by a precious eight-year-old granddaughter and a newborn grandson!
Day #26
10/19/2020: OPEN TO HOPE!
by Linda Kavelin-Popov
May we open our hearts and souls to hope -- hope for a world of unity, equity, freedom, humanity and kindness.
May we merge our wills and our actions to care for the earth, restoring her clean waters, air and land.
May we live lightly and responsibly steward all we have been given.
May we help and sustain all of our brothers and sisters, and may we support leaders who value all of us.
Let us each discern our part in this season of healing and transformation. With the Grace of God and the power of our unity, anything is possible.
Linda Kavelin-Popov is a psychotherapist, hospice spiritual care doula and an international speaker on personal and global transformation. She is co-founder of The Virtues Project, endorsed by His Holiness, The Dalai Lama and the United Nations. The Virtues Project has sparked a revolution of integrity, kindness, love, and justice in more than 120 countries. Linda has authored seven books, including the best-selling Family Virtues Guide and A Pace of Grace. She was named a “Cultural Creative” by Time Magazine. She served on the Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Think Tank on character and the Advisory Editorial Board for the Spirituality and Ethics segment on CTV National News in Canada. In 2001 she received a Women of Distinction Award from the YW/YMCA. She is also the author of the Virtues Cards. (www.virtuesmatter.com/app)
Day #25
10-18-2020: FACING OUR FEARS
by The Rev. Volker Horstmeier
These are rough times, in which we live.
We are looking for comfort, we need encouragement, a hopeful view into the future. Where can I find it? What will help us up?
I take my (German) bible and read (and translate): "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but he has given us the spirit of power, of love and of considerateness ( II Timothy 1, 7)." No Fear! But there are lots of fears, and with good reasons:
• Fires in the Western states, also in Australia and Siberia. They are a part of the climate disaster.
• The CoVid-19 pandemic. People fear to be infected and become sick. They fear the social and economic lockdown, fear for their jobs (People are afraid here in Germany, too, even if our government did a comparatively good job and did not lie to us).
• The divided society, deeply torn apart by injustice, racism and violence and by those, whose motto is: "Me first!" And this is a global issue.
“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself (F.D. Roosevelt)." God has given us another, a better spirit. He already has given it; it is his gift to us, his donation. Joyfully and thankfully we can use this gift.
The spirit of Power: Our faith is not weak. Neither is it a muscleman. It is strong, strong for others. It gives the power to carry burdens of others and to carry on. It strengthens the weak and poor. It stands up against injustice, everywhere, anytime.
The spirit of Love: This love comes from the one, who even loved his enemies. This is the way to build bridges across the gaps between black and white, rich and poor, taxpayers and tax-avoiders. Love is able to change views and give a new sight. Love never gives up, This is how we can survive.
The spirit of considerateness: How can we act in these rough times? It needs this attitude of calmly considering, argue rationally, act responsibly. It gives a wide horizon for your decisions, not only up to the next elections. In the Greek word of the original text, it contains “wisdom;" it is wise to act like this. In the German word for it (Besonnenheit), the word for the sun is shining through it. Like the sun, it will give you the warmth of love and the power of life.
The Rev. Volker Horstmeier is a retired Protestant pastor, living in Arnsberg, Germany. He always has been active in the ‘Church with Children’ and been busy organizing conventions and meetings for the Protestant Church in Germany. Since his exchange year [in Alaska] as a student he is concerned about the social implications of the gospel.
Day #24
10/17/2020: STANDING AT THE SHORES
by Rabbi Joel Nickerson
Each day, Jews offer a prayer in which we imagine ourselves standing at the shores of the Red Sea. With plagues, tyranny, and chaos at our backs, we envision crossing that sea and moving away from personal and collective enslavement towards a land flowing with hope, freedom, and love. So let us take a deep breath, open up our hearts and minds to our deepest potential, and together, may we walk through to the other side, taking one step closer towards our Promised Land. May God Bless Us and Protect Us.
Rabbi Joel Nickerson joined the Clergy of Wilshire Boulevard Temple from Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles, where he developed an enthusiastic and devoted congregation over the past 8 years. Prior to his years at Temple Isaiah, he served as a leader at Stanford University’s Hillel, and as a Hillel rabbi at the University of Pennsylvania. Joel has a fascinating background that includes a degree in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. When not working he loves spending time with his wife, Julia, and their three daughters, enjoying a cup of coffee at a local coffee shop, or taking advantage of the great outdoors.
Day #23
10/16/2020: DELIGHT IN YOUR UNIQUENESS
by Mark Hayes (see video below)
Today's printed form of the Meditation appears in the video below. You surely do not want to miss its inspiring message, accompanied by Mark Hayes' beautiful music and photography. Mark plays his piano arrangement of the well-known Hymn Tune: FINLANDIA, and shares photography of the foliage mentioned in his meditation. So be sure to head straight to the video, created by Kelley Lum Oshiro.
An internationally known writer, conductor, and concert pianist, Mark Hayes' career has blossomed into international tours to Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, South Africa and Canada.
Hayes’ music is found in the music libraries of churches and universities around the world. His compositions and arrangements are known for their unique American sound, drawing from such diverse musical styles such as gospel, jazz, pop, folk and classical. Mr. Hayes’ personal catalog, totaling over 1,500 published works, includes work for solo voice, solo piano, multiple pianos, orchestra, jazz combo, small instrumental ensembles, and choruses of all kinds. He is honored to have his music regularly featured at ACDA, MENC and Chorus America conventions. Hayes is regularly commissioned by churches, universities, children’s choruses, and community choruses to write original choral works. Mr. Hayes is also sought after as an orchestrator and music producer. He has recorded over 20 solo piano recordings ranging from jazz to classical to gospel and is a favorite arranger of church pianists throughout the world. Mark Hayes is a recurring recipient of the Standard Award from ASCAP, and his album, “I’ve Just Seen Jesus,” received the Dove Award, the equivalent to a Grammy in gospel music. In June 2010 Mark released his first CD of original songs titled All Is Well, featuring Kansas City jazz artist, Monique Danielle.
In 2010, Baylor University Center for Christian Music Studies awarded Mark the Award for Exemplary Leadership in Christian Music. Hayes received the first place composition award in the eighth annual John Ness Beck Foundation competition. He regularly conducts his works for chorus and orchestra at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.
Whether concertizing on the other side of the globe or composing at his home in Kansas City, Missouri, Mark is blessed to live out his mission “to create beautiful music for the world.”
Delight in Your Uniqueness
by Mark Hayes
Composer/Arranger/Concert pianist/Conductor/Clinician Mark Hayes takes us on a contemplative walk, keenly applying lessons from nature to Truths about Life. Music, script, and photos of foliage by Mark Hayes, who is also playing his arrangement of the Hymn Tune, FINLANDIA on the piano. Video created for the Shine Your Light.us website by Kelley Lum Oshiro.
Day #22
EDITOR'S NOTE: Dr. Elna Boesak of South Africa has witnessed, first-hand, the destructive force of those who would override democracy, who persecute those fighting for social justice and the rights of others, and who imprison those who speak Truth to power. She was a driving, tenacious support to her husband, The Rev. Dr. Allan Boesak, whose meditation appears in Day #1 of our 40-Day Series of Prayer and Meditation. They both have stood alongside such leaders as Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu against apartheid, and today Elna prays for America from the deep concerns of her heart and experience.
10/15/2020: SHINE YOUR LIGHT ON US, O GOD!
by Dr. Elna Boesak (see video below)
“To You, O Lord, I call;
my rock, do not refuse to hear
me … Blessed be the Lord,
for God has heard the sound of
my pleadings."- Psalm 28:1,6 NRSV*
GOD, JESUS CHRIST and HOLY SPIRIT, we embrace Faith, Love and Hope. We pray for equality and justice (equity) in the United States of America.
GOD, you are purposefully unfolding significant and radical changes towards equal political, social and economic human rights and opportunities. Inequalities and injustices are still causing murder, oppression, exclusions and marginalization. GOD,
Empower us to stand firmly against four hundred years of deep-rooted racism.
Strengthen us to stand firmly against political leaders who facilitate atrocities.
Lead us to halt the Evils of violence, murder, abuse, oppressions, marginalization, poverty, hetero-patriarchy, misogyny and capitalism.
GOD, we praise you for your:
+ Presence in this year’s election and beyond.
+ Intervention against social injustices and inequalities. + Mobilization of global support and solidarity for an inclusive, anti-imperialist, democracy in the USA.
Shine your Light on us Our GOD!
Amen!
As a philosophy, gender and religion scholar, an audio-visual producer, social commentator and academic researcher, Elna Boesak has taught as a Distinguished Professor in Communication at Berea College, Kentucky and was a Center for Advanced Study (CAS) George A. Miller Scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the USA. She collaborates with the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference headquartered in Chicago. She lives in South Africa.
*New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Here's an extra goodie!
from Derick Sebastian
Maui musician, Derick Sebastian, has provided us with an extra "goodie" today, a combination of his talents with singing, rap, and playing `ukulele. Please check out his entire message of concern and hope for our world, along with this lyric video on our ILLUMINArt page!
Day #21
10-13-2020: LIGHT IN THE DARK
by The Rev. Kealahou Alika (see video below)
“Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord.
Listen to me, my people, my nation:
for a teaching will go out from me and my justice for a light to the peoples.” - Isaiah 51, 1a, 4, NRSV*
Leonard Cohen was a Canadian poet and singer. In 1992, he released the album, "The Future." Among the most well-known set of powerful lyrics is the message of hope in darkness from his song, “Anthem.”
In an article written in 2016 in Quartz, a business-focused international news organization based in New York City, Cassie Webster wrote that “in dark times, poetry and music often become more important to us, providing the kind of transcendence we need to interpret painful events in a wider context.” “Anthem” will always be a song of hope for every generation in every country that finds itself in the midst of tumultuous times.
While Cohen appears to employ Christian images of “the dove” and “bells,” he also manages to combine the “sacred and profane” from different traditions. He was Jewish and studied Zen Buddhism deeply, becoming a monk for several years, and was drawn to other religious traditions. As such, we would be safe to assume that he was very familiar with the words of the psalmist and the prophet Isaiah.
The Psalms (89:15; 56:13; 119:105) and Isaiah (5:20; 9:2; 45:7; 51:4) are among the primary sources in the Hebrew text that provide us with metaphors for light. It has been said by others that God is the source of life; of goodness; of life; of wisdom; of compassion; of justice, and that light is the very source of God’s being.
The writer of the First Letter of John in the New Testament wrote centuries ago: “
"God is light, in him (sic) there is no darkness at all.” I John 1:5, NRSV*
While we may attribute the light that “gets in” to God, Cohen does compel us to consider ourselves as sources of that light:
I can’t run no more, with that lawless crowd
While killers in high places say their prayers out loud
But they’ve summoned, they’ve summoned up a thundercloud
They’re going to hear from me.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.
As you place a candle in the window this night, offer the following prayer if you are able, in Hawaiian; if not, in English; or if you are able in both languages:
Ku`i iā kukui pili ke aloha
Pili ke aloha kau maila ē
Kukui aloha o Ke Akua ē
Ke aloha a me kukui o Ke Akua e kipuni mai iā kākou.
Connect with light
Connect with love
Connect with the love and light of God
For the love and light of God surrounds us.
The Rev. Kealahou Alika retired on February 16, 2020, as the pastor of Keawala`i Congregational Church - United Church of Christ (USA), Mākena, Maui having served the church for 29 years. He currently serves as an officer of the Hawai`i Conference Foundation of the Hawai`i Conference - United Church of Christ; as an officer for the State Council of Hawaiian Congregational Churches; and as a member of the Reconciliation Working Group of the Hawai`i Conference (UCC).
He previously served as the Executive Director for what was then known as the Pacific & Asian American Center for Theology & Strategies in Berkeley, California from 1979 - 1985, and later as an Administrative Assistant for Mission & Evangelism for the Presbytery of San Francisco, Presbyterian Church USA from 1986 - 1991.
*New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Joined by his dog, Koa (in a cameo appearance), The Rev. Kealahou Alika of Maui notes various images of Light within the poetry of Leonard Cohen and writers of the Hebrew Scriptures. He shares a Hawaiian prayer, emphasizing the Love and Light of God which surrounds us.
Day #20
10-13-2020: A SOUL PREPARED
by The Rev. Roland McGregor (see video below)
I was unprepared for 9/11/2001, and I was spiritually unprepared for 11/9/2016. As I watched the election map turn red into the midnight hours, I thought, “This is not my country.” I was dumbfounded. Thanks to “Shine Your Light” I will have better spiritual preparation for 11/3/2020. This time around I will not sell my soul to a particular outcome. Jesus warned about selling the inmost self. He said, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” On the cross when all seemed lost, he gave his soul to God. He had not given it to any other definition of victory.
The spiritual struggle of our country and of each one of us is not subject to victory or to defeat but to persisting in love. Whatever happens at the end of these forty days, we will persist in raising up the downtrodden, encouraging the oppressed and calling our leaders to do the same. I may be jubilant at the outcome of the election or I may be sickened by it, but I will not be put off from loving my neighbor regardless of their yard sign. This is my country. These are my neighbors.
Rev. Roland R. McGregor is a retired pastor in The United Methodist Church, New Mexico Conference. He previously served Asbury United Methodist Church of Albuquerque and First United Methodist Church of Clovis, New Mexico, as well as churches in Texas and Puerto Rico. He is the founder of the McGregor-Kajoba Chair of Practical Christianity, an endowed professorship at the United Methodist seminary at Mulungwishi in the southern Congo (DRC).
As the USA prepares for the 2020 presidential election, Rev. Roland McGregor, retired Methodist minister, reflects on lessons he learned in 2016, and how he hopes to respond to the results of the 2020 election. His wise words give us all some important considerations and reminders.
Day #19
Adding this music video to our website is another privilege for us. This creative and very worshipful experience comes to us with permission from the arranger, Kyle Pederson, and his copyright agency, ECS Publishing. You will recognize the tune as the familiar African spiritual, Kumbayah -- but the voices and imagery add a whole new dimension which has touched us deeply in a unique manner, especially during this election season. We are so greatly indebted to all the musicians who have been so generously contributing their talents to this website!
Kyle Pederson (b. 1971) is a Minneapolis-based composer, lyricist, pianist, and educator. Kyle was awarded the ACDA Genesis Prize in 2020 and the American Prize in Choral Composition in 2019. His work has been commissioned, premiered, and recorded by All State/Honors choirs, and youth, church, college, and professional choirs around the world. Kyle enjoys working at the intersection of the sacred and secular, and his lyrics and music invite the choir and audience to be agents of hope, grace, and compassion in the world.
Day #18
10-11-2020: HOW DO I SPEAK MY TRUTH?
by Margaret Benefiel, PhD
In the face of racism, police brutality, and bitter political divisions in this country, I struggle with how to relate to those with whom I disagree. How do I find the wisdom to interact in a loving way; how do I speak my truth so they might hear?
I know that I can pray for them. When I pray, I am changed from an oppositional stance toward them to feeling compassion for them as I see the fears and hurts that draw them. As I am led, I can speak to their fears and hurts, and also speak prophetically to them. And when the conversations grow tense, I can keep returning to my spiritual grounding, keep praying that I will come from a place of compassion. When my ego gets hooked and the conflict escalates, I know it is time to take a break and center down. Loving and speaking prophetically at the same time is a spiritual practice for me. Will it change others? I don’t know. But I do know that it changes me and that it can sow seeds of transformation in others that might take root and grow, either now or sometime in the future.
There is no template for loving across differences, no formula that we can follow that will result in transformation of others at the end. There is the lifetime work of spiritual practice, practice that will change me and, through my actions, sow seeds in the world. Whether those seeds grow is up to other people and to God.
So, as the election draws nearer, how can we have courage, faith, hope, and love for all, even for those with whom we disagree? First, by staying spiritually grounded through daily spiritual practice. Second, by making the practice of loving across differences one of our regular spiritual practices. Third, by discerning in community “What is mine to do?” and being faithful in carrying out our part.
Margaret Benefiel, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation in Washington, D.C. She has served as Chair of the Academy of Management's Management, Spirituality, and Religion Group. She also serves as Co-chair of the Christian Spirituality Group of the American Academy of Religion, and has held various leadership roles in Spiritual Directors International. She is the author of Soul at Work and The Soul of a Leader, and co-editor of The Soul of Supervision. Dr. Benefiel has also written for The Leadership Quarterly, Management Communication Quarterly, Managerial Finance, Journal of Organizational Change Management, Organization, Personal Excellence, Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, America, Presence, The Way, Studies in Spirituality, Radical Grace, and Faith at Work. She lives with her husband in Washington, D.C. and enjoys hiking, cycling, reading novels, and scuba diving in her free time.
Day #17
10-10-2020: LISTEN TO THE EARTH
by The Rt. Rev. Mark Lattime
“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you.” - Job 12:7-8 (NIV*)
Listen to the earth. The caribou on the tundra, the starving polar bear, blazing trees and scorching winds full of smoke—all are prophets.
Even covered in ashes, Creation’s prophetic voice calls to us at the gate. The warning rises above the din of those who shout that common good is measured in dollars and land exploited for profit.
Cast down your idols, seek what is good; the earth belongs to the Lord. Heed this warning with sacrificial love, and faith will see green sprouts rising through gray ash even as we reach towards God to be reconciled. - The Rt. Reverend Mark Lattime
The Rt. Reverend Mark Lattime serves as the 8th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska. Prior to 2000, Bishop Lattine served as college chaplain at Canterbury Fellowship and Associate Rector at R. E. Lee Memorial Church in Lexington, Diocese of Southwest Virginia.
*THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Something Special!
Enjoy the above video -- an extra special "May You Vote" Blessing from the Auburn Senior Fellows! They were specially chosen to be part of a Program at Auburn Seminary which "connects, equips, and platforms influential faith leaders who are committed to catalyzing and advancing multi-faith movements for justice." We are grateful to Auburn Seminary for permission to post this to our website. It is also appearing on our Home Page.
https://auburnseminary.org/senior-fellows/.
Accessed 9 October 2020.
Day #16
10-9-2020: ENGAGING IN A CHAOTIC WORLD WITH CLARITY AND WISDOM
By the Rev. Blayne Higa
Our world is in chaos and it seems we are constantly trying to find our footing on the deck of a ship sailing on stormy seas. Our lives have been upended by the ongoing CoVid-19 pandemic as well as the political and civil unrest sweeping across our nation. These events remind us there is an imbalance in nature and within our society that is the cause of immense suffering.
In times of uncertainty, it is common for us to seek quick and easy answers to our problems and in recent years, many people, including certain national leaders have turned to believing in and promoting dangerous conspiracy theories and “Alternative Facts.”
Belief in these theories arises from a human need to feel more in control of an uncontrollable situation. What also arises is the dark side of our nature which assumes the worst as we look to find blame in others. This imbalance of perspective leads to further suffering as we find ourselves spiraling down a rabbit hole of fear, anxiety, and hatred.
However, the Buddha offers wisdom for living through such turbulent times and how to determine which path to follow and who to believe. In a story from the Kalama Sutta, Shakyamuni Buddha visits the village of the Kalama people who share with him how numerous holy men have visited their village claiming their teachings are the best and how others are false. They tell the Buddha of their confusion and ask for his help in deciding who to listen to and what they should believe. The Buddha tells the villagers that it is only natural to feel such confusion and doubt. He then offers the following advice:
Neither believe nor reject anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in traditions simply because they have been handed down for generations. Do not believe what is written in religious books. Do not believe something just because it superficially seems to be true. Do not believe something for reasons of logic or philosophy. Do not believe anything merely by authority of your teachers and elders. Even if I tell you something, do not believe it!
The Buddha tells them to trust their own experience and to know for themselves whether a teaching leads to harm or happiness for self and others. This simple test encourages us to thoroughly examine, experience, and to carefully consider any teaching or advice with the compassionate heart and mind of a bodhisattva. The Buddha empowers us to tap into our own intelligence and wisdom guided by the light of the Dharma.
The Buddha’s teachings can help us to engage in a chaotic world with clarity and wisdom. It seems like more and more we are being inundated with conspiracy theories and misinformation about various issues people disagree with. Because you disagree with something or someone doesn’t make it “Fake News.” Just like the Buddha advised the Kalama people, think critically about the media and information you consume. Rigorously test its veracity based on whether it leads to harm or happiness for self and others.
The truth matters especially when making decisions that impact our lives and the lives of others. Truth matters when dealing with public health. Truth matters in our democracy.
This is an occasion for us to reflect deeply on the nature of our true self, which is hidden beneath our ego and attachments. It is this ego-self that is seduced by the promise of simplistic answers offered by conspiracy theories that poison our hearts and minds. The Buddha’s teaching is the antidote which neutralizes ignorance and helps us to discern fact from fiction, truth from lies, and what is wholesome and unwholesome in life. Let us reflect on cultivating spiritual balance through living the Buddha’s teachings.
Namo Amida Butsu (Entrusting in All-Inclusive Wisdom and All-Embracing Compassion)
Rev. Blayne Higa is the Resident Minister of the Kona Hongwanji Buddhist Temple in Kealakekua, HI and is the Co-Chair of the Committee on Social Concerns for the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii. Before entering the ministry, he spent over 17 years in state government and the non-profit sector. He also serves on the Board of the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii and Vibrant Hawaii. Rev. Blayne holds a Master of Divinity from the Institute of Buddhist Studies and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Day #15
10-8-2020: WAKE UP IN AMERICA
A music video from singer/songwriter Lea Morris
Blessings abound with the generosity of musicians who are creating music to inspire and encourage us through these times of uncertainty and challenge. Today we feel privileged to have been given permission by singer-songwriter Lea Morris to share the attached music video (below) with you. The song was written by Dave Kinnoin and Jimmy Hammer. Follow along with the text below, which encourages the American spirit of diversity, dreams to fulfill, and Love for our neighbors. "The light in the harbor Shines for us all."
MAY YOUR LIGHT SHINE, SIGNALING THAT YOU ARE A HARBOR FOR SOMEONE TODAY.
When I wake up in America
I see my neighbors there
With every type of clothes and shoes
Hats and skin and hair
Every fine belief and custom
Scores of songs from who knows where?
When I wake up in America,
Our stories fill the air
Wake up in America
The light in the harbor
Shines for us all
When I wake up…
I see the kids playing
Happily swaying
Good to be staying
In a place like this
With a face like this
When I wake up in America
I put away my fear
And love my neighbor as myself
And say, I’m glad you’re here
We have found ourselves together
In this land we dream could be
When we wake up in America,
Everybody will be free
Wake up in America
The light in the harbor
Shines for us all
When I wake up…
- Dave Kinnoin has written songs for some of the most beloved characters in movies and on television. In addition to writing for his friends, he has released eight albums, has been honored with dozens of awards and tours nationally to enthusiastic audiences.
-Jimmy Hammer is an award-winning composer and producer of children’s songs and music for many television series, commercials, sound recordings, theme parks, computer games, and toys. His credits include Disney, The Muppets, Universal Studios, EPCOT, ABC, NBC.
- Lea Morris is a singer-songwriter, preschool music teacher, and recording artist with seven albums to her credit. She also SHINES with her many gifts as a music leader for spiritual gatherings.
SEE THEIR VIDEO, BELOW:
Day #14
10-7-2020: FACING OUR COMMUNAL BROKENNESS
by Bishop Karen Oliveto
“And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.” – Isaiah 2:17 (ESV*)
God of Grace and God of Glory,
In a season of division and disease, vitriol and violence, we feel most acutely our communal brokenness.
May we not avert our eyes from this brokenness. May we not make excuses for injustice. May we not be complicit with evil.
We ask you to search our hearts: replace our hatred with love, replace our frustration with compassion, replace our inaction with engagement, and replace our rigidity with curiosity.
Equip us with all we need to be agents of your love and justice in a nation and world that hungers and hurts for healing and hope.
May we boldly live out this love and justice in everything we do and say.
Grant us courage, grant us wisdom for the living of these days.
Amen. - Karen Oliveto
The Rev. Karen Oliveto is the Bishop of the Mountain Sky Conference of The United Methodist Church. She is the author of several books, including "Together at the Table: Diversity without Division in The United Methodist Church".
*Scripture quotation is from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Day #13
10-6-2020: LEAN IN TOWARD THE LIGHT
Meditation by The Rev. Dr. Susan Shaw, with video by Carrie Newcomer
In this moment of chaos, uncertainty, and division the words of singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer
invite us to “lean in toward the light”:
Carry nothing but what you must.
Lean in toward the Light.
Let it go, shake off the dust.
Lean in toward the Light.
Today is now, tomorrow beckons.
Lean in toward the Light.
Keep practicing resurrection.
In our deepest despair, the Light offers hope. If we choose to lean in toward the Light, then the darkness
cannot overcome us, and every day we are being resurrected as we choose love, justice, and peace over
hate and destruction. We lean in toward the Light when we love our neighbors, welcome the stranger,
care for the earth, and work for justice. Leaning in toward the Light is an act of resistance, hope, and
faith that we can create a better world for all of us. - Susan Shaw
Susan M. Shaw is professor of Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies at Oregon State University where she is also affiliate faculty in Religious Studies. She is an ordained Southern Baptist minister who has made her church home in the United Church of Christ for the past 25 years. She has authored several books, most recently co-authoring with Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Intersectional Theology: An Introductory Guide. She is also editor of the forthcoming reference book, Women and Religion around the World. She is a regular contributor to Ms. Magazine online and Baptist News Global. She teaches courses on feminist theologies, feminism and the Bible, and gender, race, and pop culture. She also facilitates workshops around the country for curriculum and institutional transformation around issues of difference, power, and social justice.
The award-winning American singer, songwriter and author, Carrie Newcomer has produced 16 solo CDs. In 2009 and 2011 she traveled to India as a cultural ambassador, including musical performances organized by the US State Department. In 2012 she made a similar trip to Kenya on behalf of the Interfaith Hunger Initiative. With her kind permission, we are grateful to be able to include a video of her song, "Lean in Toward the Light," below:
Visit our new page on this website: IlluminArt
We have just added a new feature to our website, which will include creative arts evoking our message of SHINE YOUR LIGHT. Just hit the link below:
Day #12
10-5-2020: THE PRAYER OF ST. FRANCIS
Today's meditation is a prayer with which you are probably already familiar. It is known as the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, and it certainly is a good season for us to reflect on its message. Perhaps there will be ONE SPECIFIC LINE which speaks directly to your spirit during your time of meditation. Take a few moments to hold it in your heart. Speak it out loud. Carry it with you for the remainder of your day. And thank you for your time, focus, and the generosity of your spirit during these days of meditation and prayer.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
St. Francis of Assisi (1181- 1226), who abandoned a life of great wealth and privilege
to pursue a life of poverty and care for the poor,
is “one of the most venerated religious figures in Roman Catholic history.”
The Franciscan orders were established under his example and leadership,
and he was recognized in 1979 by Pope John Paul II
as the patron saint of ecology.
Source: Ignatius Charles Brady and Lawrence Cunningham. “St. Francis of Assisi.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 29 Sept 2020, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Francis-of-Assisi. Accessed 4 October 2020.
10-4-2020: THE WINGS OF LOVE
by Jerry Jampolsky & Diane Cirincione,
and read by Ellen Caringer
May your mind and heart be filled
Only with thoughts of Love
May thoughts of love and forgiveness
Be your way of life
May you be the Light
That shines away the darkness of
Pain, suffering, rejection, and loneliness
May you listen only to the Voice of Love
The Voice of that which Created you,
To tell you what to think, say and do
May you continue to remind yourself
By the thoughts that you choose that
We are always connected with God, each other,
And all that is Love
May you continue to know
That happiness, peace,
And joy are your natural state
May you continue to fly
On the Wings of Love
And the Bliss of God
All the time giving
Thanks for all of your blessings
Dr. Gerald G. Jampolsky and Dr. Diane V. Cirincione gave us special permission to use this poem from their book, “Simple Thoughts That Can Change Your Life.” Jerry, widely known for his authorship of such books as, “Love Is Letting Go of Fear,” and “Change Your Mind, Change Your Life,” is a child and adult psychiatrist who founded the Center for Attitudinal Healing, in Tiburon California. Through Jerry & Diane’s work, there are now Centers for Attitudinal Healing on five continents and in dozens of countries, offering free services for children, adolescents & adults. Diane is the founder and executive director of Attitudinal Healing International. She is a therapist in private practice, a businesswoman, author, and international lecturer. Together and independently, Jerry & Diane have authored several bestselling books, have been invited to work together in over 60 countries and are the recipients of numerous national and international awards.
Dr. Ellen Caringer is a neuropsychologist and child psychologist in Kihei, Maui, Hawai`i. She is a cofounder of
Hui Aloha ‘O Maui Indivisible.
See her video below.
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Have you checked our THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE page lately? Click here for a dose of fun and joy!
Day #10
10-3-2020: PRACTICE REAL LOVE
by Sister Yvette Bellerose
We live in unprecedented times experiencing forest fires, flooding, hurricanes, and tornadoes. This ongoing pandemic is producing worldwide havoc. In the US alone, there have been nearly 7½ million confirmed cases and 212,000 deaths. News accounts record the risks of health care workers. Reporters witness also to success stories as folks are wheeled through hospital doors. We see families sharing childcare to lessen workday disruption. We hear of multiple foodbanks and food trucks supplying meals for people who cannot handle soaring food prices.
Sadly, many cannot accompany loved-ones to death, nor ritualize losses. Yet, prayer groups and churches find creative ways to gather. Outdoor services and ZOOM fill the gap.
We are continuously called to pray: “Let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality.” (I John 3:18, MSG* ) - Sister Yvette Bellerose
* Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group."
Sr. Yvette Bellerose, SSA (Sisters of St. Anne), has served as a province leader, meeting facilitator, and designer of programs in spirituality for various religious communities in the Eastern and Southern USA, Eastern Canada, Belgium, France, and Rome, Italy. She is the co-founder of “Gatherings of Women in Faith.” Each year, The Sister Yvette Bellerose Award is presented at Anna Maria College in Paxton, MA, to a student who exhibits a commitment to the Catholic faith, service to the most vulnerable, and encouragement to all.
Day #9
10-2-2020: CHOOSE LOVE
by The Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer
I have six siblings. We are very close. We have each other on a text thread, and we are in touch with each other every day.
We share news about our children and grandchildren.
We share news about our health. Two of my siblings give almost daily reports on their battles with cancer.
We talk about our favorite baseball team, the St. Louis Cardinals.
You know what we don’t do – well, not anymore. We used to. We don’t talk about politics.
For the first time in our lives, we are unable to discuss politics without fast reaching a point where we are very angry with each other.
This may be the most important election any of us have ever participated in. It is certainly among the most divisive. Families, co-workers, church members are struggling to maintain good relationships in the presence of divisions that get sharper and sharper each day.
My family decided our relationships with one another are more important than our political opinions. We didn’t decide our opinions don’t matter or that they are not important at all. We just decided they weren’t worth losing people we love because of the differences.
I know how every one of my siblings is going to vote. And at least three of them will choose a different president that I would. Nothing they say will change my mind about that. Nothing I say will change their mind about that.
We chose love for each other over anger at each other.
I pray that during this election cycle, you are able to choose love.
I pray that the love you know and the love you share clarifies for you whom you should support in the important races on your ballot.
I also pray that love remains the hallmark of the relationships in your life that matter.
Please vote.
Please love.
And may love win – in both the election and your life. - Rev. John Dorhauer
The Rev. Dr. John C. Dorhauer is an American Protestant clergy member, author, and theologian. He currently serves as the General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, and is Chair of the National Council of Churches.
Day #8
10-1-2020: MY SOUL'S SONG
by Taka Harada
“In the beginning, when God created the universe, the earth was formless
and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in
total darkness, and the power of God was moving over the water. Then
God commanded, 'Let there be light,' and light appeared.” (GNT)*
I grew up in the Lumahai Valley located on the North Shore of Kaua`i. We were one of two families that lived in the valley during my growing years. The valley is owned by the Bishop Estate and was leased by the Robinson Family to raise cattle.
During stormy, moonless nights, the valley is shrouded by pitch black darkness. I remember as a child, how frightful it was to venture out of the wamrth of our home. There was no electricity or any kind of light pollution to soften the darkness.
Our nation seems to be experiencing a very similar fall into darkness and I feel that same kind of fear. I remember studying the Constitution as a little child at our tiny, little, one-room school in Ha`ena. We had worked hard to become a shining leader of democracy. It seems we have forgotten what our nation has gone through to become a world leader, squandering our goodwill and reputation with our friends and allies.
I contemplated the role of faith in these confusing and dark times. The first three verses of Genesis kept coming to mind. So I have shared these verses above, and now my own thoughts in poetry. May God's Light shine brightly in all of the dark and corrupt places that have taken root, and bring us home to his Love.
MY SOUL'S SONG
The darkness of the night
Surrounds our being
The passing dark clouds
Obscure star-lit skies.
Deep within our being
A soulful song forms
A voice’s deep longing
For a peaceful sunlit morn.
As the storm surges
Waves form and disrupt
The peaceful shores
Where we meditate.
But there is a meditative moment
Between each cresting wave
That lifts our soul’s song
To its God and Creator.
God hears our soulful song
Rising within the darkness
The light shines - a rainbow forms
Reminding us of God’s promise to all.
- Taka Harada
Takayuki “Taka” Harada was born in the Lumahai Valley on the
island of Kaua`i. He is the author of “Kalaupapa in Poetry,” and is
an active member of Ka Ohana ‘O Kalaupapa, an advocacy group
for Hansen’s disease patients in Kalaupapa, on the island of Moloka`i. His poetry has been
shared in numerous venues across Hawai`i as well as in Japan
and Taiwan. He has also served as a lay minister at Keawala`i
Congregational Church in Makena, on the island of Maui. You may hear him reading his meditation on the attached video.
*Good News Translation - Second Edition © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.