The striving towards peace and spiritual understanding is difficult and daunting,but at the same time,not complicated.Like many things in life that require success, it is simple to perform yet requires patience,faith and perseverance – kind of like a really dirty brass pot that you know has  a wonderful lustre –  neath all the hardened grime. We also realize,when we begin to scour ,how much effort, determination,and time it will take to restore the pot to its original state of glowing beauty.So,we begin and follow the three words that guarantee success- BEGIN AND CONTINUE. Everyone begins ,at some time or another, but the ones who see the task through to its completion are rare. This work of the practice of God’s qualities is hard and our antagonist (the ego) is skilled and persistent.Each day we make this effort we build a part of the house -the storehouse of grace.Without this storehouse –  God’s grace has no place to reside, hence slips away. With the house ,even in construction,it offers a resting place for God’s grace and this gives us the peace we so ardently desire.

You must love all lives as your own.You must show compassion,pity,charity,kindness and amiability towards all lives.If you shine with these qualities,your inner heart and your body will become resplendent like gold and the whole world will be yours.You will become the friend of the recluse who lives without any attachments.The Primal One will be yours.You will glitter everywhere with your resplendence.You will become the friend to all lives on earth.Realize this,clarify and redeem yourself, gems of my eyes.

           M.R.Bawa Muhaiyaddeen

 Friends of mine recently lost a large amount of money they had counted on for retirement. That retirement included some very fine living, travel, the best accomodations, and in general life lived in the top 3-4% income group in this country. They were devastated, depressed, angry and at a loss at how to proceed. Needless to say they owned  outright a  very valuable property, had a guaranteed lifetime annual retirement pension well up in the 6 figure bracket and for most people had a lovely and comfortable life to look forward to.

        Abraham Maslow wrote extensively about the ‘hierarchy of needs’.He spoke of the basic and important difference between needs and wants inferring that for many of us our wants, subtlely over time, change into needs ie – the Lexus not the Chevy - you get the picture. In reality millions of people throughout the world would give their eye teeth for just a fraction of what my friends had and be ever grateful.

      In these times of financial volatility many have lost a great deal and have been reduced to living life on,in some cases,a rather threadbare ‘needs’ existence.For those who are used to the privileged life this shock , if seen with wisdom, brings with it a different understanding and even  gratitude. It has been said that often God gives us what we need not necessarily what we want.

Listening is an act of love. 

         A wise man once said that the greatest prayer we can offer is to do duty to and to  serve others ; even greater is to serve others with a ‘melting heart’. When we truly listen – this is indeed service and an act of love.