Kingdom Come– Now at West End Gallery
For as long as space endures,
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I, too, abide
To dispel the misery of the world.
–Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama, Poem recited at conclusion of Nobel lecture (1989)
When I read the short poem above from the Dalai Lama the first thing that came to mind was a question: Has my life added to or subtracted from the misery of the world?
I don’t know. I’d like to think it has added more than it has subtracted but you never really know. Not sure any of us do know with absolute certainty.
It’s one of those questions that is hard to objectively answer. We seldom fully know the full extent of the results of our words and actions. There are often words spoken or actions taken with little thought that might well have changed another’s life in some way. It might be in a small way, or it might have greater consequence– in both good and the not so good ways.
We never fully know what sort of fuse we may light in others. It might produce a grand fireworks display in the sky or it may blow up in their face.
I guess the best we can do is to adhere to the words above from the Dalai Lama and try to consciously subtract from the misery of the world.
To make a real effort to see the struggles of others and hear their voices and to offer a helping hand.
To not focus on our own attainment. To not take more than we need.
To be generous in all ways. To give more than we take.
To watch our words and actions, to see them from the perspective of those with which we are dealing.
To speak words intended to heal and help, not to wound.
To put those words into action.
There’s a lot more, of course. But the main objective is to simply be aware of our place in this world, no matter how small and insignificant it might seem, and to make that place better in some way.
Keeping that in mind, we can rest assured that we will not have added to the misery of this world.
It should be our task and mission.
That shouldn’t be too heavy a burden for any of us to carry. In fact, it becomes lighter with practice.
Okay, sermon’s over. I’ve had my say. Here’s this week’s Sunday Morning Music. It’s an absolute favorite. This is The Weight from The Band and The Staples Singers taken from the film The Last Waltz, directed by Martin Scorsese.
You know what? I’m not even going to tell you to get the hell out of here this morning. Stick around if you like.
See? Watching my words. If I can do it, you can do it.
Through practice we can get to the point where some disturbance may occur but the negative effects on our mind remain on the surface, like the waves that may ripple on the surface of an ocean but don’t have much effect deep down. 
Redtree Times 