Message of aroha to those suffering in Christchurch right now
We send much aroha to all the victims of the Christchurch shootings and their families, and to all the members of the Muslim community who are suffering right now. We hold you in our hearts.
We pray that some good may come from this cruel and deeply deluded attack on innocent people peacefully practicing their religion.
May it give a sense of urgency to our efforts to come together in understanding, respect and solidarity.
May our fear and anger be transformed into love and compassion, our ignorance into wisdom and our mistakes into virtue.
– Ven. Amala Wrightson, Chair of New Zealand Buddhist Council.
Prayer for faithfulness in troubled times
At this time of pain and devastation
May we hold faithfully to the values which unite us.
In every sense this world is us.
At root we are the world.
We hurt and heal together.
Recognising our own shortcomings,
May we offer our best, patiently and fully.
Whatever doctrines or viewpoints we hold,
Let us hold them lightly and skillfully,
Becoming agents of healing not hatred.
May reliability and sincerity in our giving
Overcome division in our communities.
May we offer compassion where there is pain,
And dispel fear with steadfast warmth.
In our aspirations may there be great kindness
In our seeking may we find the wisdom that brings peace.
– Robert Hunt, Christchurch Buddhist Network.
How is it that Humans do these Things to Other Humans?
At Vimutti Buddhist Monastery they had just finished their monthly ‘Day of Peace’ meditation workshop, when the news came in – a gunman killed 50 people in Christchurch mosques. Ajahn Chandako writes “A shock every bit as powerful as the devastating earthquakes, an ethical shaking whose aftershocks rippled quickly around the globe–leaving us to ask, ‘why do people do this to each other?’ Continue reading Ajahn’s reflection on this here…