January 31 – May all become compassionate and wise

By | January 31, 2022

Dear Friends,

Thank you for being part of this month of exploration.

I wish to extend my gratitude to the following. If you have appreciated this month of offerings, I encourage you to support the teachers.

While many people have contributed towards this month’s emails, any errors are strictly my own. For whatever harm I may have done, in thought, word, or deed, by way of greed, hatred and delusion, intentionally or unintentionally, I humbly ask your forgiveness.

Now that January is done, there are several options to stay inspired:

At the end of a period of practice, there is a tradition called “dedication of merit” where any goodness cultivated by our wholesome actions are shared with all beings everywhere.

I first heard a melodic rendition of this practice when Eve Decker performed it for an Awakening Joy session one year. You can listen to her version here:
https://youtu.be/-X83ixo_GUg

The lyrics were penned by Rev Heng Sure following the 9/11 attacks, and they were set to the tune of Loreena McKennitt’s “Dark Night of the Soul.”

Rev Heng Sure described the creation of the song this way:

The song “Dedication of Merit” was born as an antidote to the grief and helplessness following 9/11 and the fall of the two towers. 250 Buddhists and Catholics had gathered at a Benedictine Convent in Indiana to investigate the Rule of St. Benedict from a Buddhist perspective.

Sister Mary Margaret Funk invited the Buddhists to provide a dedication of merit, a practice of sharing with the world all the goodness created by any wholesome action. Using the mind to broadcast goodness is an effective form of spiritual activism.

https://www.uri.org/what-we-do/resource-library/dedication-merit-song

You can read more about the song, and listen to other renditions here:
https://www.urbandharma.org/udharma9/merit.html

As Rev Heng Sure said, when “many hearts dedicate together, the effect can change the world in profound ways.”

May it be so,
Andrea

2 thoughts on “January 31 – May all become compassionate and wise

  1. Laurie Fayant

    Thank you Andrea for your annual commitment to providing this wonderful January event. It’s an excellent & intentional way to start a New Year. The daily emails, content, guided meditation links & of course your zoom meditation were all so helpful for my individual practise.

  2. Robie

    AG

    Thank you for making this month of insights and songs and poems happen. It moved me deeper into my understanding of the shimmering architecture of the Creation.

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