Thanks and Welcome

[Guest guest]

Thanks everyone for being here and for your gracious presence. I have been

reading the many beautiful messages but have not responded much over the

last week. The devastation in Gujrat, India, and the horrific suffering that

has followed has been in my thoughts. The outpouring of support from the

internet communities has been heartwarming and demonstrates that a true

Sangha knows no boundaries of religion, nation, and ethnicity. We have put

the links to organizations who are actively involved in helping the

earthquake victims on the website(www..com). If

you wish to help at any point, you can go there and find out more about such

non-profit agencies whose only goal is to make life a little better for

those who are suffering. The HS website is relatively new and just went up

about a week ago. In the future, we will continue to use the website to make

people aware of the brave souls and organizations that go anywhere in the

world to help their fellow human beings in times of trouble. In our world,

compassion is the natural expression of Self-Realization.

 

Last semester, a student gave me a book "The Enlightened Heart" edited by

Stephen Mitchell. Looking through it this morning I came across several

beautiful poems. I wanted to share one with you from Lao Tzu that speaks my

heart.

 

Some say my teaching is nonsense.

Others call it lofty but impractical.

But to those who have looked inside themselves,

this nonsense makes perfect sense.

And those who put it into practice

this loftiness has roots that go deep.

 

I have just three things to teach:

Simplicity, patience, compassion.

These three are your greatest treasures.

Simple in actions and in thoughts,

you return to the source of being.

Patient with both friends and enemies

You accord with the way things are,

Compassionate towards yourself,

you reconcile all beings in the world.

 

Love to all

Harsha

 

(www..com).