Paul Reads Aloud

You looked so sad when you came to us, From a land so faraway. You left your friends, your favourite foods, The language that you spoke so well. But you came to us with a lovely smile, A beautiful dress, and a small soft voice, Sometimes I know you felt so lost, In the street of unfriendly noise. And your mother smiled too, She couldn’t say much. But I didn’t need words to speak to you, I knew from your smile And the touch of your hand, That we wouldn’t be strangers … for long.

Anger I’m wanting to punch the world into pieces, Lie back on the grass and scream, Wipe the smiles off everyone’s faces, Banish them into a dream. The red hot feeling inside me is growing, The hatred I have makes me cry. I want to kick out, to hurt them real bad, Calm down, calm down you reply. My stomach is twisting and turning around, My face is flushed bright with the strain. Trying to keep it all locked within, When I want to lash out with the pain. The heart is now rising, spitting and crackling, I’m needing to yell and to shout. I can’t re-find peace until it’s all gone, Oh please let my anger come out. Marie Thom

"1 wrote this poem in 1965 especially for the young people in the School of Youth for Social Service who risked their lives every day during the war, recommending them to prepare to die without hatred. Some had already been killed violently, and I cautioned the others against hating. Our enemy is our anger, hatred, greed, fanaticism, and discrimination against men. If you die because of violence, you must meditate on compassion in order to forgive those who kill you. When you die realizing this state of compassion, you are truly a child of the Awakened One. Even if you are dying in oppression, shame, and violence, if you can smile with forgiveness, you have great power.... On our path of service, there are moments of pain and loneliness, but when we know that the Buddha sees and knows us, we feel a great surge of energy, and firm determination to carry on." —Thich Nhat Hanh Promise me, promise me this day, promise me now, while the sun is overhead exactly at the zenith, promise me: Even as they strike

From Thich Nhat Hanh: Essential Writings, p. 101: Many people think that if they do not have influence and money, they cannot realize love and compassion. In fact, the source of love and compassion is in us, and we can help many people suffer less and realize a lot of happiness without being rich or influential. One word, one action, or one thought can reduce another person's suffering and bring him joy. One word can give comfort and confidence, destroy doubt, help someone avoid a mistake, reconcile a conflict, open the door to liberation, or show him the way to success and happiness. One action can save a person's life, or help him take advantage of a rare opportunity. One thought can do the same, because thoughts lead to words and action. If love and compassion are in our hearts, every thought, word, and deed can bring about a miracle. Because understanding is the very foundation of love and compassion, the words and actions engendered by love and compassion will be ones that are helpful. When we want to

My readaloud of Liu Xiaobo's 'I have no enemies: My final statement", Part 1. To see the text, go to: http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/china_law_prof_blog/2010/02/liu-xiaobo-i-have-no-enemies-my-final-statement.html To see the Nobel Peace Prize 2010 Award Ceremony: http://nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1405

(from ‘On letting things alone’, A HIDDEN WHOLENESS: THE JOURNEY TOWARD AN UNDIVIDED LIFE, by Parker J. Palmer, pp. 52-4) But we can learn a more creative way to be present to each other, as the following story shows. It is the story of a conflicted person who was transformed because the people around her chose to trust her inner teacher, overcoming their longtime habit of pulling everything into themselves. It happened in a long-term circle of trust I facilitated for public school teachers. One of them, Linda, was a woman at the end of her rope. After fifteen years of teaching, she had nothing good to say about her supervisors, her colleagues, or her students--all of them, by her account, were misguided and sometimes malevolent. She felt certain that she would be a happier person and a better teacher if only she could replace all these annoying aliens with actual human beings. The teachers who sat with Linda listened to her receptively and respectfully. Occasionally, they asked an honest, open question

(From NEW TALES OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA: THE INAUGURAL ANTHOLOGY OF THE HONG KONG YOUNG WRITERS AWARDS; pp. 40-41.) You have undoubtedly picked out this story by mistake, so I advise you forcefully to please put it down. In this story, all the mischief of men has been faithfully and dreadfully recorded in these few pages. I cannot think of a single reason why anyone would dare enter into a world of criminals filled with misery, mischief, and despair. Every time you come to a paragraph, all I can do is to warn you to think twice. My solemn and sacred occupation is to write this story but it is NOT made to be read. Now, the story finally begins … A mortuary quietly stood on the edge of one of the most expensive suburbs in Singapore, along the South China Sea. John Bellamy, the owner of the mortuary, spent his life among the dead. As an undertaker, he did not enjoy his job. His mind became a bit twisted since he spent his days with corpses. To be precise, he was an embalmer. He embalmed bodies, treating them w

LETTING GO (EAT, PRAY, LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert, pp. 245-9) I climbed to the top of the tower. I was now standing at the tallest place in the Ashram, with a view overlooking the entirety of this river valley in India. Mountains and farmland stretched out as far as I could see. I had a feeling this was not a place students were normally allowed to hang out, but it was so lovely up there. Maybe this is where my Guru watches the sun go down, when she's in resi¬dence here. And the sun was going down right now. The breeze was warm. I unfolded the piece of paper the plumber/poet had given me. He had typed: INSTRUCTIONS FOR FREEDOM 1. Life's metaphors are God's instructions. 2. You have just climbed up and above the roof There is nothing between you and the Infinite. Now, let go. 3. The day is ending. It's time for something that was beautiful to turn into something else that is beautiful. Now, let go. 4. Your wish for resolution was a prayer. Your being here is God's response. Let go, and watch the stars