who benefits?

As evening came, I pulled up a chair at the backyard table. For an instant, there was neither traffic noise nor musical intrusion from next door, only water in the fountain. Looking at the bowl before me, I placed both hands palm-to-palm for a blessing —

I reflect on the efforts that brought me this food.
The first bite is to end all suffering.
The second is to cultivate all good.
The third is to soften my heart.
May all beings be free from fear.

The words were similar to those chanted in Zen monasteries all over (where they tend to go for 30 or more lines). What’s the point of such an act, I wondered afterwards, of sitting alone in a garden, bent over a meal, sing-songing into the void?

Paying close attention to what’s right in front of me calms the mind and reminds me that there’s something bigger  than what the ‚small self’ is able to grasp. As to whether anyone benefits from such a solitary practice, I rely on Thomas Merton‘s notion that „If you yourself are at peace, then there is at least some peace in the world.”


The Thomas Merton Encyclopedia. Orbis Books, 2002, p. 354.

2019-07-24T20:20:15-07:00July 23rd, 2019|5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. Val 23 July 2019 at 06:02 - Reply

    Lovely reading this day and a great reminder of our peace journey and mindfulness practice .. thank you Peter❤

  2. Pam 23 July 2019 at 08:22 - Reply

    Wow! That’s what I want …some peace. The conundrum : does my peace come at the expense of dulled perception to suffering because there is a block so that the recognizing of pain, injustice, unkindness, criticism etc, ..is not processed. We use another word judgment but perception should(?) lead to discernment in my heart then action-, not the ability to turn it off.
    Help?!

  3. Joan 23 July 2019 at 10:53 - Reply

    Thank-you, Peter, for this beautiful reminder that I can create peace.

  4. Myl 23 July 2019 at 17:38 - Reply

    Yes, thank you for the blessing of remembrance at the end of a busy work day ~ pausing and observing the breath and the stillness of being mindful, so to create a little more space and a little more peace in our world.

  5. hogen 24 July 2019 at 16:05 - Reply

    Always pithy and to the point!

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