स्वेतपुष्पाणां वृष्ठिः

प्रतिदिनम् अम्मा अस्मकिं पृच्छति स्वेतपुष्पाणां वृष्ठिः अखिलविश्वस्य शान्त्यै पश्यतु

लोकः समस्तः सुखिनो भवन्तु

शन्ति शन्ति शन्ति:

Everyday Amma asks us to see white flowers of peace raining on the entire universe.
Lokah Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu
May all beings in the world be happy.
Peace, Peace, Peace

Amma: Let Us Pray

When I travel around the globe, people from war-stricken countries often come to see me. Women from these areas tell me, “We wake up in the morning to the sounds of gun-fire and screaming. Our children cling to us in fear and cry; we also hold onto them and cry. It’s been so many years since we awoke to the chirping of birds.”

Let us pray that the crackle of gunfire in such places is soon replaced by the sweet sounds of chirping birds, and that the young and old alike burst into laughter instead of tears.

–Amma

Amma is leading programs in North America until July 20. She is in San Ramon, California now and then will go to Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, Washington D.C., Boston, New York City and Toronto. Schedule

मनसा सततं स्मरणीयम् – Let Us Always Remember

I received an email from one of my Sanskrit teachers today asking us to learn a new chant. I listened to it and loved the tune. I then found a YouTube version that had the Devanagari script, the transliteration and the translation. The translation brought tears to my eyes. I think the chant is so beautiful in every way.

Here is the translation and the video:

Let us always remember,
Let us repeatedly speak out:
Our duty is to do good to humanity.

Let us not focus on material pleasures
Nor lay in the lap of luxury;
Let us be awakened always that
Our duty is to do good to humanity.

Let us not enumerate our sorrows
Nor constantly reflect on our happiness
Let us step up to take action:
Our duty is to do good to humanity.

Let us sail over oceans of misery,
Let us scale mountains of difficulty.
While roaming through the jungle of adversity,
Our duty is to do good to humanity.

Be it a dense forest of extreme darkness
Or surrounded by kith and kin
When we travel these paths,
Our duty remains – to do good to humanity.

(Note: Kith and kin means friends and relatives.)

*****

Memories of Taize

Yesterday, I read a beautiful and moving poem, Remaining True, written by Wendell A. Brown. The picture that went with the poem contained the words from Psalms 103:1 “Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.”

The Psalm reminded me of a song from Taize that I love, Bless the Lord My Soul. I found it on YouTube and played it. As I listened, tears came to my eyes.

Wikipedia says this about Taize:

The Taizé Community is an ecumenical monastic order in Taizé, Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy, France. It is composed of more than one hundred brothers, from Protestant and Catholic traditions, who originate from about thirty countries across the world. It was founded in 1940 by Brother Roger Schütz, a Reformed Protestant. Guidelines for the community’s life are contained in The Rule of Taizé^[1] written by Brother Roger and first published in French in 1954.

The community has become one of the world’s most important sites of Christian pilgrimage. Over 100,000 young people from around the world make pilgrimages to Taizé each year for prayer, Bible study, sharing, and communal work. Through the community’s ecumenical outlook, they are encouraged to live in the spirit of kindness, simplicity and reconciliation.

In December of 2001, two friends and I went to Taize on our way to Amma’s ashram in India. I felt so blessed to be in the presence of Brother Roger. He radiated a spiritual energy that was so palpable….. and so kind.

Below you will find YouTube videos of two Taize songs. The first is Bless the Lord My Soul and the second is my favorite Taize song, Veni Sancte Spiritus. I picked this version to share with you not only because the music is beautiful, but also because it has pictures of Taize and of Brother Roger.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4Svh-9ohg4

As I listened to the second song, tears started pouring down my cheeks. There are places in Seattle where Taize chants are sung regularly. It is time for me to go again….. very soon!

Quote of the Week: Wayne Muller

When discussing the importance of brevity and simplicity of speech when one is trying to create inner silence, Muller provided information that I have recalled time and time again. He said:

Someone once noted that the Lord’s Prayer contained 56 words, the Twenty-third Psalm 118 words,and the entire Gettysburg address only 226 words– while the U.S. Department of Agriculture directive on pricing cabbage contained 15,629 words. One could easily conclude that we place a higher value on pricing cabbage than on liberty, prayer, or serenity.

From Legacy of the Heart: The Spiritual Advantages of a Painful Childhood by Wayne Muller, Simon and Schuster, 1992, page 104-105.

Sanskrit Prayer to Mother Earth

Last May, my Sanskrit Class and our GreenFriends group put on a Sanskrit skit for Amma when she held a retreat in the Seattle area.

We started the performance with a prayer to Mother Earth. I love the words of the chant and thought I would share the translation with you. Many Indian children chant this prayer before they get out of bed each morning, i.e. before their feet touch the floor.

May we all learn to develop such respect for Mother Earth.