2008 SERMON LIST

Rev. Ann C. Fox
(508) 992-7081
UFairhaven@aol.com

Unitarian Universalist
Society of Fairhaven

Bringing Peace into Our Lives

a Memorial Day sermon about peace by Rev. Ann C. Fox

May 25, 2008

Note:  At the end of this sermon is a reading, which you might like to read first

          Our Unitarian Universalist sixth Principle is “the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all.” Also, this is the third year that we are being asked by our denomination to make peacemaking a focus of our lives. Today, let us challenge ourselves to walk the talk of our sixth principle.

I fully believe that human beings are wired for peace; we long for peace. We want and need it as much as we want and need love in our lives. I know that it seems to you that the truth is quite the opposite—that in the world there is more war than peace. However, there is actually more peace on earth than war. The concept of “human rights” is far more widespread than it has ever been in history. But it is also true that the absence of war does not necessarily mean absence of conflict. It is possible to live with far less conflict than we do now by creating a peace consciousness within and like ripples in a pond, our peace consciousness will create ever wider circles of peace and love. How can we create or expand peace consciousness within us? There are many inter-related ways we can do this.

            The first and most effective way to inner peace is the one that Thich Nhat Hanh advises: mindfulness meditation. Although I’ve done meditation for years, I’ve never had a regular, almost daily practice until half-way through my recent sabbatical.

A few days after returning from New Zealand, I went off to a Buddhist meditation center in Barre, western Massachusetts. (The timing was good since Leo and I had had two months of 24/7 togetherness!) Leaving Leo to meditate in his vigorous gardening way, I spent a week with 99 other women in silent mindfulness meditation, beginning at 6 AM, alternating between sitting for 45 minutes and walking mindfully for another 45 minutes until 9:15 PM. We all had jobs each day (this is what keeps the costs down to attend there—the Insight Meditation Center) which help to vary our practice of mindfulness. I had two jobs: one was to ring the gong for lunch inside and outside all three buildings and the other job was being one of three pot washers. We were all called “Yogis” and messages were left by the instructors on the bulletin board for “The Yogis.” We were to speak only if we needed to communicate about the jobs. To indicate thanks or to be excused, we put our hands together and bowed slightly. After some days, we found ways for a little humor. For example, we would find one another after lunch and one of us would whisper, “Are yogis ready to scrub pots mindfully?” And the others would reply, “Yes, yogis are ready,” and we’d laugh softly.” Most spiritual teachers say that humor is good for mindfulness for it brings us back to the present moment. Have you heard what the Yogi said when asked what he wanted for his birthday? He said, "I wish no gifts only presence!”

By the end of that week of silent meditation, I found I didn’t want this peacefulness to end so it was not difficult to continue to do the practice of mindfulness meditation, followed by loving-kindness prayers. After the rigor of the 6-day retreat, I adjusted to a modest 10 to 20 minutes of silent mindfulness meditation. When my mind wanders and I notice, I say silently or whisper: This is the moment, the sweetest moment; I share with other meditators across the world.” And I smile naturally. It truly does give peace and peace gives a quiet happiness. Before we go further, let’s do this together. If your mind wanders, say each time, “This is the moment, this very moment, this sweet moment.” If your mind wanders again, notice what is in your thoughts. Knowing what your thoughts are is at least being fully present to the thoughts. Then, make a decision to let the thoughts go and breathe deeply and say again “This is the moment…..”

            Next, I begin my loving-kindness prayers. First, I light a candle for local youth. I say (in my mind or I whisper, “May the youth of the Greater New Bedford and Fall River areas have loving-kindness. May they have peace and love. May they have ease of well being. May they be safe. May they have creativity to reach for good jobs or for study. May society offer them beneficial opportunities” Then I close my eyes and I do a similar prayer for everyone in my life, sometimes in groups, adding something a little different for each one. I finish it with a similar prayer for the nation and then for all beings and especially for areas of conflict in the world. The meditation and prayer period together is about 20 to 40 minutes. I notice that sometimes the meditation is longer than the prayer and sometimes vice versa. (See the end of the sermon for some examples that you can use and alter to your circumstances and the circumstances of others.)

            What does this prayer do? Quite honestly, I don’t know! It is part of the mystery and I’m willing to live with that. Perhaps it’s to do with the oneness of us all. For me, the practice provides tranquility and who knows if anyone or anything benefits beyond myself. Studies on prayer are certainly persuasive that something mysterious occurs. It is certainly a great way to start the day. On Tuesday evenings in August, I will continue the tradition of offering a meditation group for mindfulness meditation and walking meditation for peace. This time, perhaps we’ll add contemplation, another spiritual practice.

            Contemplation is to put our minds on certain chosen thoughts. Reverend Harry Schofield was a Unitarian minister whose practice was to take a thought or a line of poetry and contemplate it for a week. You might like how he did it. At sunrise, he would sit in his garden in the San Francisco Bay Area, sip herbal tea and contemplate a line of poetry or prose. The small piece of paper with the line or two on it was in his lap. At the end of the week, he would have committed the line or two to memory and thought deeply on what the words meant to him. I saw him on a video doing this. And there’s a curriculum for us if we wanted to do it together.

In your order of service, on the back of the hymn “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” are words of Mohandas Gandhi. Let’s have a look at them. [Read them.] I wish I had added Gandhi’s most famous line these days: “We must be the change we seek.” But of the ones printed here, I think I would take the second one and turn it into: “Peace must be built on inclusiveness and tolerance.” Gandhi was a great believer in humor; when he was asked what he thought of Western civilization, he said, “I think it would be a good idea.”

So, contemplation could be your spiritual practice for peace. For such inspiration, I also have a book of interfaith writings on peace that I use for contemplation. It is a little book called Pathways to Peace: Interreligious Readings and Reflections. There’s a saying in it from Taoism: “Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.” This certainly speaks to me of my neighbor close by but also the one across the world and how my neighbor and I are one. You get the idea of pondering, contemplating for no other reason than to open up our mind and heart to whatever comes up for us about peace.

            Late springtime is a good time to contemplate a flower, the trees, and the beauty of nature and its part in creating peace within. This weekend is certainly a good time to walk in the country in one of the many town and state parks around. I dearly hope you have been to Destruction Brook Park in South Dartmouth. Poets throughout the ages contemplated nature. Studies show that when people are shown pastoral scenes, their brainwaves are peaceful and their blood pressure goes down. There are many benefits to the contemplative life.

            Another meditative practice to bring us into the present moment is to watch children at play. Or be with them like Thich Nhat Hanh in the reading. He comes here each year to Stone Hill College in Easton and invites people to spend five days with him and his monks and nuns. It is a peacefully silent time (although a bit expensive). A few years ago, I did this. I noticed that children loved to be with him and he with them. He would sit cross-legged with them around him and they’d have a conversation. It was lovely to watch the delightful exchange even though I couldn’t hear what they said.

            There are many ways to bring peace into your life. These are just a few. The most important thing for us to remember is that peace in the world begins within us. There is no use being a peace activist who marches for peace and be angry at the same time. We must act from a peaceful center if we are to make a difference in the world. Peace within will alter the words we choose and the demeanor we present to others and the choices and decisions we make. Thich Nhat Hanh advises smiling a gentle smile because it is almost impossible to smile and not have it affect us inside. This is why he calls smiling the most basic kind of peace work. It would be good to emulate what he said to little Tim, that when someone tells you, you have a beautiful smile, instead of saying “Thank you,” say, “You’re welcome” for your smile is your gift to the world. Our smile of peace within, reflected in the world, is the way peace begins with each of us. Let us sing, “Let There Be Peace on Earth and let it begin with me” that is printed on your insert and while we’re singing, let’s allow a smile to be present amongst us for it is surely the most basic kind of peace work.

Examples of Loving-kindness Prayers

Reading: “The Most Basic Kind of Peace Work”

From Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh

(Berkeley, CA: Parallax Press, 1987m 1996, 2005)

            “If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace….

            Meditation is to be aware of what is going on—in our bodies, in our feelings, in our minds, and in the world….Life is both dreadful and wonderful. To practice meditation is to be in touch with both aspects. Please do not think we must be solemn in order to meditate. In fact, to meditate well, we have to smile a lot.

            Recently I was sitting with a group of children, and a boy named Tim was smiling beautifully. I said, “Tim, you have a very beautiful smile,” and he said, “Thank you.” I told him, “You don’t have to thank me, I have to thank you. Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful. Instead of saying, ‘Thank you,’ you could say, ‘You’re welcome.’”

            If a child smiles, if an adult smiles, that is very important. If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work.

© The Rev. Ann C. Fox

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