World Prayers for Peace

(Krishna plays his flute)

Hindu Prayer for Peace

Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real.

Oh God, lead us from darkness to light.

Oh God, lead us from death to immortality.

Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all.

O Lord God Almighty, may there be peace in Celestial regions.

May there be peace on earth.

May the waters be appeasing.

May herbs be wholesome, and may trees and plants bring peace to all.

May all beneficent beings bring peace to us.

May thy Vedic Law propagate peace all through the world.

May all things be a source of peace to us.

And may thy peace itself bestow peace on all.

And may that peace come to me also.

Shanti, Shanti, Shanti Om.

~

Buddhist Metta Prayer

May all beings be peaceful.

May all beings be happy.

May all beings be safe.

May all beings awaken to the light of their true nature.

May all beings be free.

~

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

A Jewish Prayer for Peace

Come, let us go to the mountain of the Lord, that we may walk the paths of the Most High.

And we shall beat our swords into ploughshares and our spears into pruning hooks.

Nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more.

And none shall be afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken.

~

Muslim Prayer for Peace

O God! O our master!

You are eternal life and everlasting peace by Your essence and attributes.

The everlasting peace is from You and it returns to You.

O our Sustainer!

Grant us the life of true peace and usher us into the abode of peace.

O Glorious and Bounteous One!

You are blessed and sublime.
~

(Sitarist Ravi Shankar’s Aman Manch (National Peace Forum) performed by Anoushka Shankar (daughter)

Peace be with you all!

Dawn Pisturino

January 18, 2022

Buddhist Advice for the New Year, 2022

Everything changes. Nothing is permanent. No matter how much we desire for things to remain the same, they never will. New life is born, old life dies. Friends come and go. Children grow up and leave home. Marriages end; lovers split apart. Therefore life — because it changes — can never bring us anything but suffering.

In reality, it is not life itself which brings us suffering but our own attachments, desires, perceptions, and expectations. The more we get, the more we want. The more we expect, the greater our disappointment. The more we attach ourselves to other people and objects, the harder it is to give them up.

For example, we go deeply into debt buying things we can’t afford, then needlessly suffer from the worry, anxiety, and stress of trying to pay for them. When we finally pay them off, we see something else we want — and begin the cycle all over again!

Our suffering can only end when we extinguish our desires; embrace the reality of birth and death, illness and old age; and accept the inevitability of change.

We cannot control the big stuff, but we can control the small stuff.

Simplify. How much stuff is in your closets that you spent lots of money on that you never use anymore? Did you ever use it? Did you really need it in the first place? Clean out your closets and dispose of excess clutter. Donate items to the local thrift store.

Avoid Debt. You can never find peace of mind while coping with a pile of debt. If you can’t afford to pay cash, then you probably don’t really need it. Save the credit cards for emergencies. Pay off all unnecessary bills. Open a savings account. Just saying “no” to things we don’t really need is liberating.

Show love and compassion toward others. Understand that we are all in this life together. None of us asked to be born. Nobody wants to suffer. And there is only one way out.

Be truthful and honest. Avoid causing harm to others through your words and deeds. Most importantly, be kind to yourself. Stop doing all those little things which cause unnecessary worry, stress, and pain.

Take things in stride. Instead of resisting change, embrace it! View it as an opportunity to make a fresh start. Have a sense of humor. Go out of your way to make others smile.

Have a happy, prosperous, and serene 2022!

Dawn Pisturino, RN
March 15, 2007; January 4, 2022
Copyright 2007-2022 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.