Dear friends,
Many of us who were brought up in the Christian tradition look also to the East for inspiration as to how to lead a good life.
Having been brought up in one tradition,
We may take the teachings of that tradition for granted and we may look for novelty and inspiration in the new.
There is no harm at all in seeking inspiration from wherever it may be found,
But it is useful for all of us to refer back to the traditions of our youth in order not to lose sight of the inspiration that may be found there.
For example,
The teachings of Jesus which we see in the set of instructions known as the Beatitudes.
In St Matthew's Gospel we are told that the Beatitudes are part of the Sermon on the Mount delivered by Jesus near the lake of Galilee.
The Beatitudes may be familiar to many of our listeners here on Inside Timer,
But for the benefit of those who may not have heard them for a time,
And of course for those who have never heard them at all,
Here are the recommendations that are offered in this teaching.
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure of heart,
For they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
So there you have them,
The Beatitudes.
They offer food for thought and reflection.
It's not immediately obvious that the poor in spirit,
Otherwise the humble,
Will find peace and happiness.
But when we slow down to stop,
Think and reflect,
We realise that this attitude of humility is in fact its own reward.
Will those who mourn be comforted?
Yes,
They will.
We know that if we let down our guard,
Share our concerns with a trusted friend,
We will be supported.
And so it goes on.
As we mindfully go through these suggestions for life,
We see that they contain much wisdom.
We know in our hearts that if we try to do good,
We feel better.
No one has to tell us that if we do something which has hurt someone,
We feel bad.
We may not feel this immediately,
But life is short.
The years pass,
And all these regrets lie there awaiting our attention.
As has been put to us in the Buddhist tradition,
Our actions are the grounds upon which we stand.
We cannot escape the consequences of our actions.
So may the Beatitudes be among those suggestions which inspire us to do the best we can with this precious life that we have been given.
May those of us who have been introduced to them for the first time in this reflection find inspiration in these words.
May those of us who have heard them before be inspired to take another look and spend some time in quiet reflection on the importance of what Jesus has to say in the Beatitudes.
May all of us,
Wherever we are,
Be well.
May all those whom we care about be well,
And may all of us find the inspiration every day to play our part in leaving this world a little better than we found it.
Namaste.
