The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6: 9 – 13)
Our Father who art in heaven,
Your version:
Hallowed be thy name.
Your version:
Thy kingdom come.
Your version:
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Your version:
Give us this day our daily bread;
Your version:
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors;
Your version:
And lead us not into temptation,
Your version:
But deliver us from evil.
Your version:
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever.
Your version:
Amen.
Your version:
What is the Lord’s Prayer?
Goal:
To learn the Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23, to put these prayers into your own words, and to consider the role of prayer in your life.
Preparation:
Read “Background for Teachers”
Make copies of “Bedtime Prayer Thoughts for UU Kids”
Make copies of “The Lord’s Prayer” and “Psalm 23”
Introduction:
Prayer as supplication (asking for something) can’t change lives, but prayer can change people and people can change lives. A prayer can be simply silence, it can be meditation, or it can be words spoken repeatedly. The two ancient prayers in this lesson are part of our culture and will be heard over and over in our lives. They can inspire us with their poetry and message. We keep them and interpret them in our own words for today.
Activities:
Bedtime Prayer Thoughts: Years ago, a UU minister suggested a bedtime prayer that includes one thing you are thankful for, one thing you are sorry for, and something you are hopeful for. Give one to each of your children to color or decorate and hang in his or her bedroom.
The Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23: Give everyone a copy of each of these prayers. Talk about what each line means. Then, ask everyone to write their own version of each line. Discuss what you wrote. If you want, you could decide on which version you like best, then decorate a nice copy of your family version to hang in your house.
Marlene’s Stamp Album
Did you know that there are 43 famous American Unitarian Universalists and at least 4 Canadian UUs who are honored on postage stamps? In The UU Kids Book, by Brotman Marshfield, CLFer Marlene Powell learned about these stamps and decided to start her own collection. But she had an idea to make the collection even more interesting. On each page of her album Marlene wrote a paragraph or two describing the person on the stamp — what she or he believed in and did that made them famous. Here is an example from Marlene’s album.
There are several ways to start a collection. Each stamp ever issued has an official number. You can find the numbers for the famous UU stamps in the UU Kids Book or write me at CLF and I’ll send you the list. Once you know a stamp’s number you can order it from the Scott Catalogue,(usually found in libraries), or from a local dealer. Have fun!
What is meditation? What does “spiritual” mean?
& On the Path by the UUA
Goal:
to develop an understanding of spiritual discipline that includes community worship, quiet meditation or prayer, and physical activity.
Background:
Introduce the concept of spiritual discipline with this explanation from On the Path:
“A spiritual discipline is a way that you organize yourself to be open and available to your own spirituality on a regular basis. Spirituality is an experience of a depth dimension to life—beyond the physical, the obvious, the provable, and the universally shared. It involves the relationship between one’s being and the universe. Discipline means that you choose to explore the spiritual part of yourself, and you choose to do this regularly—every day, every week, or on some other regular basis. When you work with a spiritual discipline, you do this activity, whatever it is, not just when you feel like it, but according to whatever agreement you’ve made with yourself. Whether or not you feel like it at that moment, you still go ahead, you do this activity, whatever it is, not just when you feel like it, but according to whatever agreement you’ve made with yourself. Whether or not you feel like it at that moment, you still go ahead with the activity.”
For UUs, the most common spiritual practice is collective worship. The common elements of worship are: sacred space, opening words, chalice lighting, music, sermon, prayer or meditation, and closing words.
Other common forms of spiritual practice for UUs include physical exercises (yoga, running), or ascetic practices like fasting, journal writing, or meditation.
Also Read: Statements About Spirituality
Activities: Choose one or more these activities to give yourselves an experience of meditative practice.
• Meditative Nature Walk
• Guided Meditation
• Mindfulness Exercise
Mindfulness Exercise
30 minutes
Introduce the mindfulness exercise by saying something like, "As Unitarian Universalists, we are committed to the concept of ‘reverence for life.’ But Zen Buddhist master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh, promotes reverence for life through the experience of mindfulness, the quality and experience of spirituality in everyday life. In the Miracle of Mindfulness, he says "Mindfulness…is the life of awareness: the presence of mindfulness means the presence of life…Mindfulness frees us of forgetfulness and dispersion and makes it possible to live fully each minute of life! Mindfulness includes the skill to be here now in the present moment. We can learn to become more mindful of our physical environment, and our thoughts, feelings, and actions. We need to focus completely on the moment at hand; maintain a relaxed awareness; and be as fully conscious as possible of our body, mind and spirit. As we grow in mindfulness, we gain awareness of our spiritual potential and enhance the spiritual quality of our lives."
Explain that you are going to read an excerpt, "Deep Listening and Loving Speech," from For a Future to Be Possible: Commentaries on the Five Wonderful Precepts, in which Thich Nhat Hanh describes a precept or principle of mindfulness. The principle is "to cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve others of their suffering."
There is a saying in Vietnamese, "It doesn’t cost anything to have loving speech." We only need to choose our words carefully, and we can make other people happy…
A person who has learned the art of listening and speaking deeply in order to help people let go of their fear, misery, and despair…opens…the "universal door." If we practice listening and speaking…we too will be able to open the universal door and bring joy, peace, and happiness to many people and alleviate their suffering.
The universal door manifests itself
In the voice of the rolling tide.
Hearing and practicing it, we become a child,
Born from the heart of a lotus,
Fresh, pure, and happy,
Capable of speaking and listening
In accord with the universal door.
With only one drop of water
Of compassion
From the branch of the willow,
Spring returns to the great Earth.
I learned this beautiful poem when I studied the Lotus Sutra at age sixteen…
In the "Universal Door" chapter of the Lotus Sutra…voice is described in five ways: the wondrous voice, the voice of the world regarded, the brahma voice, the voice of the rising tide, and the voice of the world surpassing. We should always keep these five voices in mind.
First, there is the wondrous voice. This is the kind of speaking that will open the universal door and make everything possible again. This voice…is refreshing and brings calm, comfort, and healing to our soul. Its essence is compassion.
Second, there is the voice of the world regarded… " the one who looks deeply into the world and hears the cries of the world." This voice relieves our suffering and suppressed feelings, because it is the voice of someone who understands us deeply-our anguish, despair, and fear. When we feel understood, we suffer much less.
Third, there is the brahma voice. Brahma means noble-not just the ordinary voice of people, but the noble speech that springs forth from the willingness to bring happiness and remove suffering through Love, compassion, joy and impartiality…
Fourth, the voice of the rising tide is…a powerful voice, the kind of voice that silences all wrong views and speculations. It is the lion’s roar that brings absolute silence to the mountain and brings about transformation and healing.
Fifth, the voice of the world surpassing is the voice with which nothing can be compared. This voice does not aim at fame, profit, or a competitive edge. It is the thundering silence that shatters all notions and concepts.
The wondrous voice, the voice of the world regarded, the brahma voice, the voice of the rising tide, and the voice of the world surpassing the voices we are to be mindful of…
Engage participants in a conversation around the definition of mindfulness. Then tell them that they are going to have the opportunity to experience mindfulness.
Ask the participants to count off by twos. Invite each pair to find a place in the room to sit face-to-face. Ask the first person to speak and the second person to listen, and then they will reverse roles. They are to speak for four minutes on "the best or the worse thing that happened to me last week." Signal beginning and ending time with a bell or chime. Allow a minute of silence between role reversals.
After 10 minutes gather the group and invite them to share thoughts and feelings about their mindfulness experience.
After this sharing, discuss how they might use mindfulness, especially "deep listening and loving speech," in everyday life.
"My Friend the Monster"
This is a story about a boy named Hal. Hal is a prince. His parents, the King and the Queen, wanted him to be handsome, very, very smart, and very, very special. They were disappointed though, because he was just like other boys and girls. He wanted to play with the other children who lived outside the castle, but his parents wouldn’t let him.
One day Hal waved out the window to a girl he saw playing, and she waved back. Later she found her way into the castle past the guards, and she brought a book with her. It was an old book, but Hal was happy to trade one of his new books for it. It was a book about the old days and about monsters. The monsters once lived in the kingdom now ruled by Hal’s parents. In the old days, the man who was king drove the monster people out of their homes. The monsters had to run away to save their lives, and they escaped to live inside of Black Rock Mountain. When the monsters escaped, the King was so angry that he ordered the people never to talk about the monster people or write stories about them. In time few people in the land remembered the monsters who lived inside the mountain.
Hal was very sad and lonely inside the castle because he had no one to play with. So he read the book about the monsters over and over. He gave names to the monsters who were pictured in the book, and he felt that they were his friends. They were strange looking, but they seemed more sad than ugly.
One day Hal’s mother, the Queen, came to his room and found the book about monsters. She was very angry. She threw the book into the fireplace Hal tried to save it from the flames, but it caught fire and burned. That night and for many nights afterwards, Hal dreamed of monsters and fire. He always woke up feeling sad. Time went by, and Hal began to grow thin and pale. The Queen told the King that Hal was not well, and a doctor was called. The doctor said Hal was very unhappy, that he should go somewhere else to live for a while. Hal said he wanted to go live with his Aunt Ivy, and his parents agreed. Ivy lived near the mountains. In fact, she lived near Black Rock Mountain, where the book said the monster people lived.
One cleat spring day, Prince Hal went to the mountains. He rode In a coach drawn by six horses, with six guards riding other horses all around the coach. They rode all day and toward evening came to a white house among the trees. Aunt Ivy came out to meet Hal. She showed him through the house and took him to see what would be his room. Hal asked if Cousin Archer, Aunt Ivy’s son, would play with him. Aunt Ivy replied, "Cousin Archer is a grown man, not a boy, and he has no time to play."
Hal looked out the window of his room and saw something rising up behind the trees. It was Black Rock Mountain. He told his Aunt Ivy about something he had read in the book: that there was a black square on the mountain wall where a door used to be. "It was made by magic," Hal said. "It was the door used by the monsters to get into the mountain.
Aunt Ivy said that she had once heard a song about strange people who lived underground, but that she didn’t know anything else about it. However, she remembered, once she had heard a man say he had caught a little monster.
The next day Cousin Archer came home from hunting. He was a big, rough-looking man. He had two big dogs and carried a bag in which there was a bird he had captured. He ignored Hal and said nothing even when Hal said, "Good day, Cousin Archer." When Hal followed Archer outside, they came to many cages placed along the garden path, cages full of pigeons and peacocks, monkeys and rabbits, and many other forest animals. Cousin Archer banged some of the animals on the nose to make them shriek. "Stop!" Hal cried when Archer hit the first animal. "You’re hurting it." But Archer just laughed and kept at it. He said that he liked to hear them scream.
Hal felt very badly. "These animals are not happy," he told Cousin Archer. "You should set them free." But Cousin Archer said he could do whatever he wanted to. Then he became very angry at Hal and chased him from the garden with a stick. "Get out of here," Archer screamed at Hal. "Get out, and don’t come back!"
Hal was excited and a little afraid. He ran along the road up the hill and down and then into the woods. He decided to head for Black Rock Mountain to see if he could find the magic door.
After a while Hal felt strange being all alone in the dark woods. He stopped for a drink of water at a stream. As he finished drinking, he discovered some clothes under a bush: a pair of boots, pants, a coat, and a hat with two holes in it, one on each side. The clothes were made of a strange material.He wondered whose they were. He looked at them very carefully but left them under the bush.
He hadn’t gone far when he heard steps behind him. Hal turned. A boy was running after him, wearing the clothes Hal had found in the bush. The boy was a monster! He had great round eyes and a flat nose. His teeth were tusks. His hair was like a lion’s mane. His skin was green. A pair of pink horns stretched through the holes in his cap.
"Give it back!" the boy shouted at Hal.
"Give what back?" Hal replied.
"The twig, the twig. You took my twig, and now I can’t go home," the monster boy answered and started to cry.
Hal said, "I didn’t take your twig, and I wish you’d stop crying. And why can’t you go home?"
The monster boy explained that the twig was part of the magic that opened the mountain to let him in. It was gone, and he couldn’t go home.
"I’ll help you find it," Hal offered.
"No, you won’t help me, " the boy said. "You’re a Small Eyes. Small Eyes are our enemy."
"I’m not your enemy," said Hal.
"Yes, you are. You hate us," the boy said.
"No, I don’t hate you," Hal said, "and I’ll help you look for your twig." They went back to the bush by the stream and looked for the twig, but they couldn’t find it. Then Hal had a good idea. "Must it be just the twig you lost?" he asked.
"It must be a twig from a black fir tree," the monster boy explained.
"I have a black fir at home," said Hal. "You wait here, and I’ll go home and get you a new twig. By the way, what is your name?"
"My name is Humbert," the monster said.
"And my name is Hal," said Hal.
Hal hurried back to Aunt Ivy’s house. He sneaked behind the house and broke a twig from the black fit tree. He was about to run off to the woods when he heard a commotion on the other side of the house. When he walked around and peeked into the garden, he saw that Cousin Archer had Humbert locked in a cage. Archer had found Humbert waiting in the woods. He had captured Humbert and brought him back to the house."What a fine monster I have caught," Archer was boasting. And a crowd of people from the village had gathered around the cage to stare at the monster boy.
Hal ran to the edge of the crowd unseen by his cousin and then wormed his way to the front ."Humbert," Hal whispered.
The boy in the cage was startled. "Hal," he said.
"I have the twig," Hal told him softly. "Be ready."
While Cousin Archer was driving the villagers out of the garden, Hal climbed a tree and hid in the thick branches. He waited there for hours until it was night. Then he climbed down from the tree and quickly went from cage to cage, opening each one as he passed by. A monkey jumped from its cage and began to shriek. Soon the other monkeys had joined in, as did all of the other animals. The monkeys screamed and chattered. The birds squawked. The dogs barked. As the guards came running, Hal opened Humbert’s cage, and the two boys raced away from the garden.
Humbert and Hal ran through the woods all the way to Black Rock Mountain. When they reached the mountain, Humbert took the twig and said the magic words. There was a deep rumble, and a door opened in the side of the mountain. They ran through, and the door closed after them. Now they were safe.
First they walked through a place called The Land of In-Between where thousands of glow worms gave them light. Then they walked under a waterfall and came to the land where Humbert and his people lived. It was a land where the people kept coal fires burning all of the time so they could have light and heat.
The boys came to Humbert’s house, but only Humbert went in at first. "I have to ask my mother about your staying," Humbert explained.
Hal couldn’t see anyone in the house, but he heard Humbert’s mother talking. "He is a Small Eyes. Why have you brought him here? He can’t stay here. He is our enemy," she said.
"He is not our enemy," Humbert replied. "He is my friend." Hal couldn’t hear what was said after that, but soon Humbert returned and brought Hal into his house. Despite what she had said, Humbert’s mother was very kind to Hal. She gave the boys dinner and a bath, and then she put them to sleep.
In the morning Hal was awoken by the sound of voices. Humbert and his mother were talking in the next room. "You are only a monster to this Small Eyes," Humbert’s mother said. "Do you think he would ever say of you, ‘This is my friend, the monster?"
Humbert replied, "No matter what you say, he is my friend."
Though Hal stayed in Humbert’s house another day, both Hal and Humbert knew that Hal had to leave. Humbert’s mother was uneasy. And the boys couldn’t even go out and play, because the other monster people would see Hal as the enemy and put him in a cage, or worse. Very early the next morning, Hal and Humbert raced away from the house and on into The Land of In-Between. There Humbert gave Hal the twig and taught him the magic words for the door. The boys said goodbye but promised to meet again.
Hal raced through The Land of In-Between, through the magic door, and on through the woods. When he came to the house, his parents were there as well as Aunt Ivy. Everyone was so happy to see him. They had heard that Cousin Archer had chased him from the garden, and the King had sent Archer away for a year as punishment for this.
The King and Queen could see that Hal was well again, and they were very happy. They decided to let Hal play with other children. Often Hal would go to visit his Aunt Ivy. And each time he’d go out to Black Rock Mountain to visit his friend, Humbert. The boys usually played together in The Land of In-Between. There, Humbert was safe from the "Small Eyes" and Hal was safe from the "Monsters."Hal wanted to tell Humbert that someday he wouldbe the king. When he was, Humbert and all of his people could come out from inside the mountain, and no one would harm them. Hal would order it.Then they would all live together in peace. And that’s the end of the story.
The Preacher, the Farmer, and the Little Church That Waited
As a boy growing up in England, John Murray dreaded Sundays.
His family, led by a stern father, rose at dawn each Sunday to spend the whole day praying and attending church. After church John’s father would quiz him on the sermon. If John couldn’t answer every question, his father would strike him with a cane, or box his ears.
Sunday was a time to sit and think about hell–a place where most people went after they died, and burned in flames forever and ever.
John’s parents believed in the Calvinist idea of God–that God decided whether a person would go to heaven or hell before that person was even born, and a person could do nothing to change this. Furthermore, only a certain few people were chosen to go to heaven. People thought that if you attended church a lot, and if you worked very hard, and if you were very good, and if you made a good living, it could mean that God had chosen you for heaven.That is why John’s father was so strict. John tried to please his father. At the age of six, he could read entire chapters of the Bible. He developed a talent for speaking and, as a teenager, he was often asked to preach in nearby churches.
When John was nineteen, he left for London and took a job at a cloth mill. But he was careful to attend church every evening and on Sunday, and he woke every morning at 4:00 to pray. He began to think that maybe he was one of the special few persons chosen by God to be saved. He started to feel and act superior to others.
Then one day in church John met Eliza, the most beautiful young woman he had ever seen. He immediately fell in love with her, and she with him. Soon after, John and Eliza married.
At this same time in London, a small group of people called Universalists were preaching ideas about God that were very different from the Calvinists. "John," said Eliza one day, "who are these Universalists?"
"I don’t know," he answered. "I hear they are evil and dangerous people."
"What do they believe?" asked Eliza.
"From what I hear; they believe some crazy idea that…well, that every person will go to heaven because God is so good!" said John.
"To tell you the truth, John." said Eliza,"I sometimes wonder myself why a truly good God would want millions of humans to go to hell, through no fault of their own. Besides, John, is anyone really completely good?"
John felt uneasy. It seemed wrong to question what he had been taught all his life.
"Let’s find out more," said Eliza.
John and Eliza learned about theUniversalist ideas about God. They spent several years carefully thinking through their beliefs. In the end, they chose Universalism.
Their friends were shocked and refused to be friends anymore. John and Eliza didn’t care. Universalism gave them hope in place of stern judgment. John discovered that he no longer looked down on people. He now cared deeply about others, rich and poor. He and Eliza made new friends, and to add to their happiness, they had a baby boy.
Then suddenly everything changed. Their baby died and Eliza became sick. John spent all their money and borrowed more to save her, but she died, also. John was thrown into debtors prison for owing money.
"I have come to pay your debts, John, and get you out of this place," said Eliza’s brother who came to John’s rescue. John replied, "My wife and my baby are dead. I don’t care whether I live or die. Just leave me."
But Eliza’s brother brought John home anyway. "Come on, John," said his friends. "Preach Universalism for us. We need you."
"I shall never preach again," John said,"but I know what I will do. I’m going to cross the ocean to America, and lose myself in the wilderness. I am done with the world."
In 1770, John sailed to America in the Hand in Hand. The ship was supposed to dock in New York City, but the captain miscalculated, and instead, the Hand in Hand got stuck on a sand bar off the coast of New Jersey. The captain asked John to go ashore to find fresh food and water for the crew.
John was glad to get off the ship and after walking some distance through the tall pines, he came to a clearing with a large house and, to his astonishment, a trim looking church made of rough sawed lumber. A tall farmer stood in front of the house cleaning fish.
"Welcome" called out the farmer. "My name is Thomas Potter."
"And I am John Murray, from the ship Hand in Hand."
"Yes," said Thomas, "I saw your ship in the bay, stuck on the sand bar, she is."
"May I buy your fish to take back to the ship’s crew?" asked John.
"You can have them for the taking, and gladly:’ answered Thomas,"and please come back to spend the night with my wife and me. I will tell you all about this little church and why it is here."
John gratefully carried the fish to the sailors, and then returned to Thomas’ home for the night.
"Come, my friend, sit in front of our fire, this chilly fall evening," said Thomas. "I’m so glad you have come. You may be the very person I’ve been waiting for."
John wondered,"Waiting for! What could he be talking about?".
Thomas explained. "You see, I grew up here in these woods. I never had a chance to read or write, but I always liked hearing the Bible read, and I’ve thought a lot about religion. Trouble is, my ideas are different from the ideas of the preachers who travel through these parts. I built this little church myself for all the traveling preachers to use. I ask them questions and talk to them, but they don’t know what to make of me and my ideas. I keep looking for a preacher of a very different stamp. I want a preacher who will teach about a loving God who saves all people, not just a chosen few."
Today, when I saw your ship in the bay, a voice inside me seemed to say, "There, Potter, in that ship may be the preacher you have been so long expecting."
John said quickly,"I am not a preacher."
"But," said Thomas Potter, leaning forward, "can you say that you have never preached?"
"I have preached," answered John slowly,"and I believe, as you do, in a loving God."
"I knew it! I knew it!" shouted Thomas."You are the preacher for whom I have waited for so long! You’ve got to preach in my church on Sunday!"
"No," replied John firmly. "I never want to preach again. Tomorrow, as soon as the wind changes, I will be on my way!"
After John went to bed, he couldn’t sleep. He thought to himself as he tossed and turned,"I just want to get away from everything…if I preach Universalism I know there will be trouble. Folks here in America mostly have Calvinist views, just as in England.Why start trouble for myself in a new country? But Thomas Potter has such faith in me. And he’s so kind. Oh, I wish I knew what to do.
By Saturday night the wind had still not changed, and John finally agreed to preach the next moming. Thomas Potter was overjoyed. He grabbed his coat and hat and ran for the door."I’m going to spread the word to all the neighbors! They can expect a sermon such as they have never heard before!"
And so, on Sunday morning September 30, 1770, Thomas Potter’s dream came true and the first Universalist sermon was delivered in America. At last he could hear a preacher who talked of love instead of punishment.
As for John Murray, after that Sunday he knew he wanted to preach. Just as he expected, there were people who were angry at him for preaching ideas so different from Calvinism. They spread lies about him and stoned him, but he stuck to his beliefs and, in 1779, organized the first Universalist church in America in Gloucester, Mass. After many years, he fell in love again and married. He and his wife, Judith, had a daughter.
And if you’re ever in Lanoka Harbor, New Jersey, the little church that waited so long is waiting for you to visit in Murray Grove.
The Mustard-Seed Medicine
KISA GOTAMI was a beautiful young woman with neither father nor mother to care for her. In the city market one day, a rich young man saw her as she stood in a booth selling flowers. He fell in love with her at first sight. Later he married her. Everyone thought: "What a happy life Kisa Gotami will now have. Some time after that a baby was born, a beautiful little boy, and Kisa Gotami was completely happy. The days slipped by very fast as she watched her little son grow and learn. Almost before she knew it, he could run about and talk. She loved him more than anyone else in all the world. She loved him when he was obedient and when he was stub-born. She loved him when he laughed and when he cried. But one day the little boy suddenly became very sick. Even though his mother and father did everything they knew how to do for him, the little boy did not get well. In a few days he died.
Kisa Gotami could not believe her little boy was really dead. She thought his sickness had only put him to sleep. Some kind of medicine would surely wake him up. So she wrapped the little body in its baby sheet and lifted it up in her arms. She carried it to her neighbor’s door.
"Please, my friend," she begged, "give me some medicine that will cure my child." But when her neighbor lifted the sheet and saw the baby’s face, she shook her head sadly. She knew there was no medicine that could cure him.
Kisa Gotami was not easily discouraged. She went from door to door. She begged each neighbor she saw: "Please give me some medicine to cure my little boy." But each neighbor in turn looked at the baby’s sleeping face and shook her head sadly. The neighbors all felt very sorry for Kisa Gotami. When she was gone, they said:
"Poor Kisa Gotami! Has she lost her sensesl" Finally she met a man on the street who said:
"My good woman, I cannot give you any medicine for your child, but I know a man who can help you.
"Oh, tell me, please, who is he and where may I find him
"Go to Buddha," said the man encouragingly. "He canalways help people." So Kisa Gotami hurried to the home of Buddha. She stood before the great man and said:
"Good Buddha, I am told you are always able to help people in trouble. Please give me some medicine that will cure my child."
Buddha looked tenderly at the anxious mother. He knew the child was dead. He knew he could not bring the dead back to life again, but he knew also that he could help the mother to feel peaceful and comforted. "My good woman, you must help me find the medicine," said Buddha kindly. "Go and bring me a handful of mustard seed."
"Surely I can easily find a handful of mustard seed, "said Kisa Gotami eagerly. "Do as 1 tell you," said Buddha, ‘hut remember this: The mustard seed must be taken from a house where no one has ever died or it will be of no use."
Believing she could find the mustard seed in some house where no one had ever died, Kisa Gotami thanked Buddha and went back home. There she gently laid her child’s lifeless body on its little bed. Then she went out alone to find the handful of mustard seed.
First she went hopefully to her next-door neighbor. "Have you a handful of mustard seed" she asked. "Buddha says it will cure my child."
"Certainly I have mustard seed. I will gladly give you a handful and more."
"Thank you so much, kind neighbor," said Kisa Gotami, "but before taking the seed I must ask you a question. Has anyone ever died in your house–a father or grandfather or grandmother or anyone else?"
"O Kisa dear, have you forgotten?" said the neighbor in surprise. "Our dear grandfather died here scarcely more than a year ago."
"Then your mustard seed cannot cure my child," said Kisa Cotami sadly. "Buddha said that I must find the seed in a home where no one has ever died."
Hopefully Kisa Gotami went to another house. She went from door to door, to every house in the village, asking for a handful of mustard seed. When she asked the question: "Has anyone ever died in this house?" one said:
"Yes, our oldest son died here. It was ten years ago, but we still miss him." Another said:
"Both our grandparents died in this house." Another said:
"My husband died here many years ago." At every door it was the same. Someone would say:
"Good woman, why remind us of our sorrow? How can you expect to find a house where no one has died? Don’t you know that the living are few but the dead are many?"
At last, tired and discouraged, Kisa Gotami went outside the village and sat down alone on a rock under a banyan tree. She knew now that even Buddha had no medicine for her child. Nothing could bring him back to life again. Tears blinded her eyes. Although it was broad daylight, it seemed as though the darkness of night had fallen over her.
As she sat quietly under the banyan tree, she slowly began to feel peaceful. After all, she was not all alone and deserted. Nor did she feel that her little boy was all alone. The really real little boy she loved was gone. That was true. She did not know where he had gone or why he had gone, but she did know now that his body was dead. It had died, just as thousands of other persons’ bodies had died before. Just as her own body would sometime die. Just as everybody in all the world must sometime die. Kisa Gotami felt that all people were together in dying. No one was ever all alone.
But Kisa Gotami wanted to talk with Buddha again. She was beginning to understand why he had sent her to get the handful of mustard seed. But she wanted him to tell her. So she arose and went back to his home. Buddha greeted her in the same gentle way he had done before.
"Good woman, have you brought the mustard seed?" he asked.
"No, my lord. There is no house in all the village where someone has not at sometime died." "Sit down beside me" said Buddha. "Let us talk together a while." Kisa Gotami was glad to listen and be quiet.
"Our lives in this world are all short whether we live for one year or for a hundred years. Everyone who is born must sometime die–yes, everyone. There are no exceptions. We all have our times of happiness and also our times of pain and sorrow. Do not try to free yourself from suffering. Try rather to free yourself from hate and selfishness.
"Do not struggle, good woman," said Buddha. "Be at peace. Accept your life as a gift. Take the days as they come one by one. Fill them as full of kindness as you can."
Kisa Gotami went often to Buddha. The thoughts that he gave her to think about were the best kind of medicine for her loneliness. Now that she knew how much it hurt to be lonely, she began to learn how to comfort others who also were sad.
Kisa Gotami, now a rich man’s wife, went often to the homes of the poor. She brought them food. She played with their children. In these ways she slowly learned how to comfort herself.
Exploring — Meditative Nature Walk
15 minutes
Introduce the meditative nature walk by saying something like, "We will be going to__________. It is a silent walk, so there is no talking. Each of us will walk alone."
As you walk, try to put your thoughts about the past and thefuture aside. Try to keep all of your attention right here and now on whatever you are seeing, hearing, feeling, and so on."
As you walk, look for a natural object that somehow catches your attention in a special way: a rock, a branch, a leaf, a pine cone, or whatever. Don’t pick anything that’s still alive, however, because a Hindu would not choose to act in that way.
"Once you have found a special object, sit down with that object before you or in your hands. Take the rest of the time to focus all of your attention just on that one object.
"That silent walk will last for ten minutes. After ten minutes I’ll ring the bell to let you know the time has gone by. Please come back to the gathering point when you hear the bell. Also, please be sure that you stay close enough to me so you can hear the bell."
Lead the group on an outdoor meditative walk.
