Daily Compass

Part of me is searching desperately for trust, wondering how I will find it after having had it broken again and again and again. I think that at least part of the answer is found in compassion—the compassion we have to have for ourselves for the very human condition of not knowing a situation or a person fully—and the practice of opening ourselves up to experiencing things the way others do so that we might learn, so that we might make our picture of this world a fuller one. -Rev. Michael Tino (CLF)

How can you embrace the uncertainty of now knowing how someone else experiences the world?

When theology is lived in the midst of community, when it is given life as the bonds that connect each and every one of us as an interdependent web of creation, we understand our principles as living, breathing, organisms that require our care.  We understand that affirming and promoting inherent worth and dignity (yours, and mine, and those of the people outside of this room) is a process, an ongoing challenge to meet people where they are and experience them as who they are. -Rev. Michael Tino (CLF)

How can you meet someone where they are and truly experience them today?

“Right action” is defined by those things that help us live our values in the world. Buddhists follow specific precepts of right action–not killing, stealing, etc. Unitarian Universalists look to our shared covenant to help us define right action.

What does “right action” mean to you?

“Acting with compassion is not doing good because we think we ought to. It is being drawn to action by heartfelt passion. It is giving ourselves into what we are doing, being present in the moment—no matter how difficult, sad, or even boring it feels, no matter how much it demands. It is acting from our deepest understanding of what life is, listening intently for the skillful means in each situation, and not compromising the truth. It is working with others in a selfless way, in a spirit of mutual respect.” -Ram Dass

When has it been difficult for you to live in the present moment?

“To return to our true home, to see into our own nature, is the aim of practice. We see into our own nature by bringing light to each act of our existence, living in a way that mindfulness is present all of the time. When walking past the cypress tree in the courtyard, we really see it. If we do not see the cypress in our own garden, how can we expect to see into our own true nature?”
-Thich Nhat Hanh, in Zen Keys

Practice being fully present to the beings around you today.