Kia ora, from New Zealand Aotearoa. 

Taradakini asked me why I am inspired by Abhayaratna Trust and have been our rep in New Zealand Aotearoa (formerly alongside Purna.) I would put it in the context of an order wide first stage metta. If we do not have a charitable heart, a wide open, caring and deeply concerned heart for our own basic needs, as a collective, how can we truly say we benefit the world ‘out there’? We need to walk the talk while meditating deeply on there being ultimately no ‘in here’ and ‘out there’ no self / other, in reality. 

Abhayaratna Trust gives us ‘Bodhisattva Activity’ off the cushion. It’s one of the finest jewels in the crown of our Order. Become a Trust rep (for your Centre or country) and you’ll see suffering being relieved around you. You’ll never be sorry you took this hat on! And even wearing it with devilish  pride is no problem. It’s so easy to transfer your merit in this aching old world. To quote the poet William Stafford, “For the darkness around us is deep.”

Aroha nui

Satyadevi

A Ritual to Read to Each Other: By William Stafford

If you don't know the kind of person I am
and I don't know the kind of person you are
a pattern that others made may prevail in the world
and following the wrong god home we may miss our star.

For there is many a small betrayal in the mind,
a shrug that lets the fragile sequence break
sending with shouts the horrible errors of childhood
storming out to play through the broken dike.

And as elephants parade holding each elephant's tail,
but if one wanders the circus won't find the park,
I call it cruel and maybe the root of all cruelty
to know what occurs but not recognize the fact.

And so I appeal to a voice, to something shadowy,
a remote important region in all who talk:
though we could fool each other, we should consider—
lest the parade of our mutual life get lost in the dark.

For it is important that awake people be awake,
or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep;
he signals we give — yes or no, or maybe —
should be clear: the darkness around us is deep.