Experience Passage Meditation
What is Passage Meditation?
The Best
Lao Tzu
The best, like water,
Benefit all and do not compete.
They dwell in lowly spots that everyone else scorns.
Putting others before themselves,
They find themselves in the foremost place
And come very near to the Tao.
In their dwelling, they love the earth;
In their heart, they love what is deep;
In personal relationships, they love kindness;
In their words, they love truth.
In the world, they love peace.
In personal affairs, they love what is right.
In action, they love choosing the right time.
It is because they do not compete with others
That they are beyond the reproach of the world.
The Prayer of Saint Francis
Saint Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.
Let Nothing Upset You
Saint Teresa of Avila
Let nothing upset you;
Let nothing frighten you.
Everything is changing;
God alone is changeless.
Patience attains the goal.
Who has God lacks nothing;
God alone fills every need.
Evening Prayer for the Sabbath
Jewish Liturgy
In this moment of silent communion with Thee, O Lord, a still small voice speaks in the depth of my spirit.
It speaks to me of the things I must do to attain holy kinship with Thee and to grow in the likeness of Thee.
I must do my allotted task with unflagging faithfulness even though the eye of no taskmaster is on me.
I must be gentle in the face of ingratitude or when slander distorts my noblest motives.
I must come to the end of each day with a feeling that I have used its gifts gratefully and faced its trials bravely.
O Lord, help me to be ever more like Thee, holy for Thou art holy,
loving for Thou art love.
Speak to me, then, Lord, as I seek Thee again and again in the stillness of meditation, until Thy bidding shall at last become for me a hallowed discipline, a familiar way of life.
The Miracle of Illumination
Shantideva
As a blind man feels when he finds a pearl in a dustbin, so am I amazed by the miracle of Bodhi rising in my consciousness.
It is the nectar of immortality that delivers us from death, the treasure that lifts us above poverty into the wealth of giving to life, the tree that gives shade to us when we roam about
scorched by life, the bridge that takes us across the stormy river of life, the cool moon of compassion that calms our mind when it is agitated, the sun that dispels darkness, the butter made from the milk of kindness by churning it with the dharma.
It is a feast of joy to which all are invited.
The Real Lovers of God
Narsinha Mehta
They are the real lovers of God
Who feel others’ sorrow as their own.
When they perform selfless service,
They are humble servants of the Lord.
Respecting all, despising none,
They are pure in thought, word, and deed.
Blessed is the mother of such a child,
And in their eyes the Divine Mother
Shines in every woman they see.
They are always truthful, even-minded,
Never coveting others’ wealth,
Free from all selfish attachments,
Ever in tune with the Holy Name.
Their bodies are like sacred shrines
In which the Lord of Love is seen.
Free from greed, anger, and fear,
These are the real lovers of God.
You Become What You Meditate On
The best, like water,
Benefit all and do not compete.
They dwell in lowly spots that everyone else scorns.
Putting others before themselves,
They find themselves in the foremost place
And come very near to the Tao.
In their dwelling, they love the earth;
In their heart, they love what is deep;
In personal relationships, they love kindness;
In their words, they love truth.
In the world, they love peace.
In personal affairs, they love what is right.
In action, they love choosing the right time.
It is because they do not compete with others
That they are beyond the reproach of the world.
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self
that we are born to eternal life.
Let nothing upset you;
Let nothing frighten you.
Everything is changing;
God alone is changeless.
Patience attains the goal.
Who has God lacks nothing;
God alone fills every need.
In this moment of silent communion with Thee, O Lord,
a still small voice speaks
in the depth of my spirit.
It speaks to me of the things I must do
to attain holy kinship with Thee
and to grow in the likeness of Thee.
I must do my allotted task with unflagging faithfulness
even though the eye of no taskmaster is on me.
I must be gentle in the face of ingratitude
or when slander distorts my noblest motives.
I must come to the end of each day with a feeling
that I have used its gifts gratefully and faced its trials bravely.
O Lord, help me to be ever more like Thee,
holy for Thou art holy,
loving for Thou art love.
Speak to me, then, Lord, as I seek Thee again and again
in the stillness of meditation,
until Thy bidding shall at last become for me
a hallowed discipline, a familiar way of life.
As a blind man feels when he finds a pearl in a dustbin,
so am I amazed by the miracle of Bodhi
rising in my consciousness.
It is the nectar of immortality that delivers us from death,
the treasure that lifts us above poverty
into the wealth of giving to life,
the tree that gives shade to us
when we roam about scorched by life,
the bridge that takes us across the stormy river of life,
the cool moon of compassion
that calms our mind when it is agitated,
the sun that dispels darkness,
the butter made from the milk of kindness
by churning it with the dharma.
It is a feast of joy to which all are invited.
They are the real lovers of God
Who feel others’ sorrow as their own.
When they perform selfless service,
They are humble servants of the Lord.
Respecting all, despising none,
They are pure in thought, word, and deed.
Blessed is the mother of such a child,
And in their eyes the Divine Mother
Shines in every woman they see.
They are always truthful, even-minded,
Never coveting others’ wealth,
Free from all selfish attachments,
Ever in tune with the Holy Name.
Their bodies are like sacred shrines
In which the Lord of Love is seen.
Free from greed, anger, and fear,
These are the real lovers of God.