From His Holiness the Dalai Lama:
Practice for the New Millennium
Spend 5 minutes at the beginning of each day remembering we all want the same things…to be happy and to be loved, and we are all connected to one another.
Spend 5 minutes breathing in, cherishing yourself, and breathing out, cherishing others. If you think about people you have difficulty cherishing, extend your cherishing to them anyway.
During the day, extend that attitude to everyone you meet. Practice cherishing the simplest person like clerks or attendants or people you dislike.
Continue this practice no matter what happens or what anyone does to you.
These thoughts are simple, inspiring and helpful. The practice of cherishing can be taken very deeply if donewordlessly, allowing yourself to feel the love and appreciation that already exists in you.
***
From the same collection, this poem by John Mundahl:
The Corner Of Hollywood And Vine
I met a saint once, downtown L.A.,
In a small auditorium where she was giving a talk.
I don’t remember what she said,
Just her eyes as I gave her a flower.
They came from a place foreign to me,
Great peace amid a noisy world.
She took my flower and smiled,
And I knew for one moment
That I was everything to her,
That I was all she saw,
And a tiny candle
Long buried
And forgotten
Deep within
My frozen
Heart,
Lit.
And I knew that I had worth
Just the way I was.
Later that night, when I left the auditorium,
I hugged the first beggar I saw
On the corner of Hollywood and Vine
And I went home happy.
I can still see his confused face.
“The purpose of life is to increase the warm heart. Think of other
people. Serve other people sincerely. No cheating.” – The Dalai Lama
Both excerpted from:
Soul to Soul
Poems, Prayers and Stories to End a Yoga Class
Compiled and Edited by John Mundahl
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