Professor Kim Cunio

In the service of peace with Stephanie Dowrick

colleen General , , , , , , ,

Our Service of Peace

On the steps of the old Pitt Street Uniting Church 
 lingering autumn leaves remain 
under the hanging banner across the portal 

                       We cry out for Gaza 
                 Peace and Justice in Palestine

Welcome and cozy inside with a restive unified quiet. 
A brightly burning candle sits on a centred table 
amidst many more awaiting  to be lit.
and three burnished gold banksia flowers
apt for a winter scene 

Our leader Stephanie warm  
in a soft melon pink cloak 
led with words of ancient wisdom 

 

The Taoist peace of prayer :

If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.

If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.

If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbours.

If there is to be peace between neighbours,
There must be peace in the home.

If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.    – Lao-tsu. .

Next even more ancient is the wisdom of the Upanishhade  
((the philosophical core of ancient Indian Vedas)  with the Shanti  mantra ending in the OM

Lead us from the unreal to the real,
Lead us from darkness to light,
Lead us from death to immortality.
Om, Peace, Peace, Peace!

Mantras

From the Baha’i Teaching 
“Look on all creation with a friendly eye.A beautiful sentiment often reflecting a shift  toward compassion, peace, and mindfulness.

From George Fox founder of the Quakers “Walk cheerfully over the world”  
( recognise the spark of the Divine in everyone.)

And finally St Francis :
‘Make me a channel of your peace  . . . 

Music 

On original instruments carried us into a peaceful other world 

Hildegard chant by an amazing soprano and Kim  Curio playing the psaltery (a harp-like zither),
and other chants and song  backed by a one stringed drone lute  possibility called an erhu 
 and tiny bells .
During the meditation   tiny bells
sounded all around the room giving a mystical feel . 

Meditation for inner Peace.

Stephanie began . .   A wise teacher has said,
“ Look through the eye of the Beloved and you will see the Beloved everywhere.’
let me see myself in  the eyes of the beloved .
Lighting the candles we shared the tapers.

Playing of light in our heart of peace.

               

 

Final reflection. 
Our call to go forward : Remember why we are here. , our purpose and perspective
The parable of the Three Stone Cutters. 

A weary traveler happens upon three men chipping away at massive blocks of stone in the hot sun
and asks each of them, “What are you doing?”

The First Stonecutter: Grunting and wiping sweat from his brow, he answers,
“I am making a living.”He is focused entirely on the paycheck, viewing his work simply as a mandatory exchange of time for money. [1]

The Second Stonecutter: He hammers away methodically and replies,
“I am doing the best job of stonecutting in the entire country.”
He takes immense pride in his craftsmanship and his own skill, though his focus is highly individualistic. 

The Third Stonecutter: Looking up at the traveler with a gleam of inspiration, he smiles and says,
“I am building a cathedral.” He may never see the finished structure in his lifetime,
but he is deeply engaged and satisfied because he knows his daily, repetitive task contributes to a grander mission. [

Our take out: we are all three stone-cutters. Which one do you want to be?

(AI  take away The moral of the story is that meaning transforms the grind. While you need a living and strong craftsmanship to get the job done, anchoring your daily tasks to a larger ‘cathedral’ or purpose provides the energy, focus, and long-term fulfilment needed to excel)

 

 

 

In the Service of Peace led by Dr. Stephanie Dowrick & Professor Kim Cunio 

colleen Finding Zen, General, Poetry , , , ,

In the Service of Peace

Music, words, silence – a gathering for all peace seekers

led by

Dr. Stephanie Dowrick & Professor Kim Cunio 

To lift hearts, spirits and hope for a kinder, calmer world for all. 

Peace IS the way.

The only way if we truly care about people, planet and especially the worlds’s children.

Our efforts matter to the world they will inherit. 

     

 

It was a perfect autumn day to travel by train into Pitt Stree Uniting Church for the service. 

It was affirming to gather with many other peace seekers for an experience

of sublime music, words from the universal traditions,

time for quiet and twice  time for standing and greeting the people around us. 

We were caught hypnotically by the music  and the readings it worked for both of us .

We left to travel back home with a new seed planed 

of peace in our own hearts. There was a new and renewed calmness  in both us.  

“Peace be with you” There were the first words the risen Christ spoke to his disciples –
words which feel especially important as conflict continues around the globe.

 Event at the Pitt Street Uniting Church  Stephanie Dowrick 3- 4.30pm.

by Michael Keating

This was a surprisingly rich experience.  I found myself physically and mentally involving myself. Unfortunately I had forgotten, at the last, to take my recycled scribble sheets, so here I am trying to bring back some ideas that permeated a meditative state. Colleen has been sharing the Stephanie Dowrick Poem-a-Day from  her Facebook as they arise.

I immersed myself in the general ambience of the ‘liturgy’. Stephanie specifically distanced us from the idea that it was liturgical, however I cannot, at present, think of a clearer terminology for myself.

The music was excellent. The vocalists were captivating. The readings (from various belief frameworks) were too numerous and thus too hard to follow – they also needed more context. Fewer readings, read slower and with appropriate pauses would have helped. The only reading I recognised was Wordsworth’s ‘trailing clouds of glory’. However the ambience was such that the readings sort of fitted in well enough.

The following often-quoted maxim on mindfulness came clearly into my mind.

“Watch your thoughts, they become your words;
watch your words, they become your actions;
watch your actions, they become your habits;
watch your habits, they become your character;
watch your character, it becomes your destiny”

is a popular, often-quoted maxim on mindfulness. It highlights that internal thoughts shape external reality, usually attributed to Lao Tzu.

Lao Tzu: There is no record of this specific sequence in the Tao Te Ching or other classical texts.

The attribution likely grew because the quote’s focus on mindfulness aligns with Taoist philosophy.

Somewhere we have a laminated copy of this maxim, better set out. It will come to light at some later date.

At two points the congregation (mainly mature women and a sprinkling of men) was asked to standup and greet their neighbours.
I was surprised how gracious these were. The group seemed to mainly regular attendees (not necessarily locals)
and invitees through Stephanie Dowrick’s Facebook  (or other) contact.
One of the women chatted to us afterwards and alerted us to the quality of of the Jesuit parish at
St Canice’s Parish Church Potts Point.

Lao Tzu
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