The Eight Verses of Thought Transformation

With the thought of attaining enlightenment
For the welfare of all beings,
Who are more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel,
I will constantly practice holding them dear.

Whenever I am with others
I will practice seeing myself as the lowest of all,
And from the very depth of my heart
I will respectfully hold others as supreme.

In all actions I will examine my mind
And the moment a disturbing attitude arises,
Endangering myself and others,
I will firmly confront and avert it.

Whenever I meet a person of bad nature
Who is overwhelmed by negative energy and intense suffering,
I will hold such a rare one dear,
As if I had found a precious treasure.

When others, out of jealousy,
Mistreat me with abuse, slander and so on,
I will practice accepting defeat
And offering the victory to them.

When someone I have benefited
And in whom I have placed great trust
Hurts me very badly,
I will practice seeing that person as my supreme teacher.

In short, I will offer directly and indirectly
Every benefit and happiness to all beings, my mothers.
I will practice in secret taking upon myself
All their harmful actions and sufferings.

Without these practices being defiled by the stains of the eight worldly concerns,
By perceiving all phenomena as illusory,
I will practice without grasping to release all beings
From the bondage of the disturbing unsubdued mind and karma.

In one way, a text like this can be a prayer. In another way, a contemplation and meditation.

Offer whatever you relate to from your own tradition.

On spirituality I can only offer that I started out life with a friendship with a dog and the ocean.
Those were my first spiritual connections.
People always seemed peripheral to the real happenings in my life.
Then my connections to water continued. Expanding to animals who were wild in nature. Trees were also my friends and wise mentors.
An over all voice seemed to permeate all this. A kind, brotherly, at times warning, at times playful voice.
When I became curious about God, my parents taught me their traditions and took me to synagogs and chapels and cathedrals and churches.
There God seemed meaner and more strict. But when I read his book I was comforted.
Still the voice in the forest was my guide. It has become dimmer over the years as I moved where other peoples thoughts and concerns and horn honks overwhelm deep living. (Living within a meditative grace if you will.)
And to tell the truth it hurts too much every time a tree is killed for no good reason no GOOD reason, for me to remain raw and to not have built up a massive denial system that I practice to this day.

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214 Days
9 Hours
56 Minutes Days till Christmas

I once spent a month on the Eight Verses of Thought Transformation. It is NOT an easy practice.

When I meditate on the goodness of Jesus I am renewed. Just letting it flow. Letting love flow. Nature walks are good places to do this I have found.

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214 Days
9 Hours
56 Minutes Days till Christmas

Good for you. I support you in meditating whatever way works for you.

And I you

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214 Days
9 Hours
56 Minutes Days till Christmas

I posted a poem for you.

Whoa read it. So true to the depth of my iddy biddy soul. wrote my life story there

Thank you

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214 Days
9 Hours
56 Minutes Days till Christmas