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Rest in Natural Great Peace This Exhausted Mind

As we honor the closure of 2014 with celebrations both spiritual and secular, may our spirits rest in “Natural Great Peace” and may that peace perfume the greater world around us.

We usher in this season with one of The Bardo Group’s most popular posts as both a gift and an inspiration.

Meanwhile, on behalf of newly birthed The Bardo Group/Beguine Again collaborative, best wishes for a rich life of mind and spirit in 2015.

Volume 1, Issue 3 of our arts and spirit eZine, The B Zine, will publish on January 6.

Many blessings,
Jamie Dedes

“Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags are a common sight in Sikkim. The concept is truly beautiful. Prayers are written on flags and put up. The wind plays its part in letting the flags flutter and the symbolic reciting of the prayers.

I made this painting of prayer flags across a frozen Tsomgo (Changu) Lake on 22 June 2005.” Painting and text belong to: Naresh Kumar Agarwal, a gentleman talented in both arts and technology and committed to using his skills and wisdom in the service of humanity. 

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MEDITATION

Rest in natural great peace this exhausted mind,
Beaten helpless by karma and neurotic thoughts
Like the relentless fury of the pounding waves
In the infinite ocean of samsara.
Rest in natural great peace.

Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche

You’ll have to link through to YouTube to view this beautiful and healing meditation.

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Photograph of Nyochul Khen Rinpoche courtesy of Rigpa Wiki.
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Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche or Nyoshul Khenpo Jamyang Dorje (Wyl. smyo shul mkhan po ‘jam dbyangs rdo rje) (1932-1999) was such a consummate master of Dzogpachenpo, and such an authority on the teachings of Longchenpa, that his disciples regarded him as Longchenpa in the flesh. He was the teacher of many of the younger generation of lamas, as well as a number of western Buddhist teachers. He became one of Sogyal Rinpoche‘s most beloved masters. MORE

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Prayer as Action for Peace

On The Bardo Group blog this p.m. … the perfect peace from Terri Stewart … it is a collection of prayers from many traditions … Enjoy!

The Bardo Group Beguines's avatarThe BeZine

Editorial note:This was originally written by Terri Stewart for Saturday, September 7, 2013, in response to a call for worldwide prayer and fasting to focus on peace in Syria. With all that is going on in the Middle East and given the Ukraine crises, the many conflicts in Africa and the deaths and dislocations resulting from drug wars in Central and South America, this seems a good time to post it again in the spirit of peace, love and community …

I have seen many things happening–prayer vigils, personal meditation practices, marches, and communications with elected officials. We decided to offer a Labyrinth Walk for Peace at Bothell UMC in Bothell, WA in the morning. I gathered inter-faith prayers, we walked, prayed, and focused on bringing peace to the world. What follows is prayers and photos from that journey that became deeply personal for each attendant. There was a…

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To Alef, to the only home there is: one another’s hearts

Be the Peace (c) Jamie Dedes
Be the Peace

“To Alef, the letter
that begins the alphabets
of both Arabic and Hebrew ~
two Semitic languages
sisters for centuries.

May we find the language
that takes us
to the only home there is ~
one another’s hearts ….”

– Ibtisam Barakat

Ibtisam Barakat praying for peace.
Ibtisam Barakat praying for peace.

This poem is from TAKING THE SKY: A Palestinian Childhood by the Palestinian-American poet, writer, educator and humanitarian, Ibtisam Barakat (ابتسام بركات).

Ibtisam is from Ramallah, a Palestinian city north of Jerusalem. She came to the United States to work an internship with The Nation. She taught at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.

Ibtisam works tirelessly with children and adults to encourage creativity and life enrichment. She says, ” All voices are needed for the song of life to have all of its notes.”  Her poetry collection and children’s book, Al Ta’ Al-Marbouta Tateer (The Letter Ta Escapes), have won accolades and awards. She writes in Arabic and in English.

© poem, Ibtisam Barakat; Ibtisam’s photograph, D. Hemingway; “Be the Peace” photograph, Jamie Dedes

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Poets Against War, Poets for Peace

file000513414694Please unite with us on Into the Bardo next week for Poets Against War, which is really saying Poets for Peace. 

We will start with something special on Sunday (it may or may not include a poem, Terri Stewart will surprise us) and then each of the next six days we’ll host poems from six different poets.  Throughout the week, we’d like you to join us – not only as readers – but as writers by putting links to your own anti-war or pro-peace poems in the comment section on Into the Bardo. We’ll gather the links together in one post and put them up as a single special page. Please don’t worry about questions like whether you’ve been published or whether you think the work is good. These questions are irrelevant. It’s your heart in the work that counts. That’s where the power is.   So please unite with us in this one thing. Let’s put that energy out into the world. If you are so inclined, please also reblog this post and help us get the word out about our week of Poets Against War. Thank you! ♥

Meanwhile, I will be back here on The Poet by Day, the journey in poem on Tuesday. Have a wonderful weekend.

Photo courtesy of morgueFile.