Love this engagement, Nancy. And tonglen meditation has been a life-changing practice for me—my own forms of it have evolved over time. Breath is powerful.
I like to look up word meanings I think I know. I looked up Wage, and was reminded it had to do with battle and war. Waging peace, in all its contradiction, is truly active. As a young woman, I thought peace was merely the absence of war and strife. I have come to understand that peace is an action, every bit as much as walking, singing, cleaning, or cooking. Peace starts as an ethereal hope, but it can only be transformed to reality through much serious and intentional work.
For someone who has trouble carrying a tune,
I found the simplicity of the melody inviting me to sing and to move.
I imagined a circle of folks on a sunny day doing just that,
flowing like the art on the colorful cover.
I also love the embodiment of the lyrics:
Wage peace with your breath,
Wage healing with your touch,
Wage compassion with your eyes,
Wage peace.
Wage acceptance with your mind,
Wage forgiveness with your heart,
Wage justice with your life,
Wage peace.
Judyth Hill’s poem seemed to offer some simplicity, as well.
Breathe. (One of the easiest and a favorite thing to do!)
Make soup.
Learn to knit.
Have a cup of tea…and rejoice.
And just add to the list…
wage peace.
Oh! Could it be that simple?
I only recently discovered the practice called tonglen:
breathing in pain and breathing out blessing.
That’s probably not so simple, but
I imagine it is very powerful.
And then…
“Act as if armistice has already arrived.”
I have heard it said that that was the intention
of the Beatitudes.
When things feel a bit overwhelming,
I return to this idea.
Let me contribute to the celebration of life
by rejoicing with gratitude for
the beauty that is also here
next to and along with the pain.
“Celebrate today.”
Love this engagement, Nancy. And tonglen meditation has been a life-changing practice for me—my own forms of it have evolved over time. Breath is powerful.
I like to look up word meanings I think I know. I looked up Wage, and was reminded it had to do with battle and war. Waging peace, in all its contradiction, is truly active. As a young woman, I thought peace was merely the absence of war and strife. I have come to understand that peace is an action, every bit as much as walking, singing, cleaning, or cooking. Peace starts as an ethereal hope, but it can only be transformed to reality through much serious and intentional work.
So beautifully said, Deborah. Peace-MAKING! Peace-BEING! PEACing, like LOVing. Verbs!