Kindness

As we come near the beautiful time of Full Moon (when the Sun has just moved into Taurus) there is a special radiation from the Lord Buddha. In my meditations over the last few days I have been very aware of the gentle feminine energy which often emanates from him/her at this time. Just over a week ago now I was in Texas at our Temple and Retreat Center, walking on the land and around the labyrinth. I felt this feminine vibration of Buddha shining from the central ‘rose-heart’ of the cross within the circle of the labyrinth. It seemed to me, as I walked, that this central rose took the form of an exquisite pearl at the centre of a soft white flower. Overshadowing the whole circle was an immense Buddha, ethereal and translucent, radiating the gentle nurturing love/wisdom of the Mother aspect of God, the pearl ray.
 
What struck me most, as this aura of pearly light spread out further and further, eventually embracing the whole world, was that as it touched all people’s hearts, it was stimulating the quality of thoughtfulness and simple human kindness in every heart. It made me think that maybe we don’t often fully realise how much this quality can uplift and change peoples’ days. A kindly word, a thoughtful gesture, can change a day (maybe a life) for someone feeling low and sad.

 A lovely aspect of the philosophy of the Buddha (and the same applies to the White Eagle teaching) is ‘metta’. Metta is a Pali word meaning loving kindness—or ‘the strong wish for the welfare and happiness of others…an altruistic attitude of love and friendliness, as distinguished from mere amiability based on self-interest.’ It is one of what are called the four virtues. White Eagle tells us: ‘It is one thing to talk about love and to say “Love one another”, but it is quite another thing to become love within. Yet the whole purpose of life is to bring forth love. There are many degrees of love, to love in any form is good. We look upon the children of earth and see the spontaneous kindness, the little thought, the little actions which are Godlike. You may not realise that such gentleness is a Godlike expression showing that the soul for the moment is expressing love, and God. The purpose is for the life to become accustomed to spontaneously expressing kindness to all—whatever the race, the cast, or religion; let us be kind and recognise the God in our fellow, the spontaneous expression of which is kindness and love; this is the key to all knowledge.’

 So let’s make a special effort at this time of year to focus on the gentle quality of altruistic kindness. What an extraordinary example our Pope Francis is setting in this! We cannot all do what he has done, maybe, in taking in refugee families, but we can all look around and see what simple acts of kindness we can offer our neighbours, family, and friends, and gradually we then develop in ourselves the spontaneous expression of that kindness.