Examen - 11
Transcript
We begin with the name of God.
Creator of all.
Position yourself as a witness to the Milky Way Galaxy. Think of how infinitesimally small it is compared to the universe that contains it. And yet, one of the honors of the universe is that it is the creation of the Divine. Thus, one of the of the honors of the Milky Way is that it is a creation of the Divine, and thus its value is immeasurable.
1. Wonder
And now zoom in to that infinitesimally small solar system floating along one of the spires of the Milky Way. Again honored as the creation of the Divine and thus having the highest of value.
And zoom in to the sun around which the planets revolve. Again, compared to the Milky Way, infinitesimally small. Compared to the universe, even immeasurably smaller. And yet it is honored as a creation of the Divine and thus immeasurable.
And zoom in further to the planet Earth. Compared to the sun, so small. And yet of immeasurable value, honored it as a creation of the Divine.
And zoom in to the many nations and many communities across the world. Each, when looked at from space, impossible to see except for the land and the oceans. And yet each nation, constructed by people, still creations of the Divine and still of immeasurable value.
And zoom in even closer to any given population in the world. Consider one population of a family together. And consider this family of even more value than the Earth, even more than the Sun, even more than the Milky Way, even more than the universe.
And bring it closer. Consider yourself standing or sitting wherever you are. Infinitesimally small compared to the nation that we are in. And consider how much you have been honored just by virtue of being a creation of the Divine. Immeasurable in value.
And bring it closer. Consider your physical body. Feel your toes. Feel your feet. Feel your ankles. Up to your knees. Up to your waist. Move up to your chest. Move across your shoulders. Down to your elbows and through your fingers.
Moving from the body, move to your mind. Processing what you're listening to, imagining what you're imagining. But as astonishing a gift that your body is, consider what an astonishing gift your mind is.
And move from the mind to your heart. Your core. It is through all of these that we connect to the Divine, but especially through your heart.
2. Order and Disorder
Now. Turning to the Milky Way. Think of the fact that the Milky Way operates in order, spinning around. Think of the fact that the planets spin around the sun according to an order. Think of the fact that communities run according to an order. Think of the homeostasis of your body. Think of the consistent processing of your mind. And think of the patterns of your heart.
But now think of disorder. Imagine within the Milky Way, stars crashing into each other. Imagine within the solar system a meteor crashing into the moon. Imagine in the world, conflict.
Add more. Imagine in our society, the tensions related to leadership and the selection and election of leadership. Imagine your body when it is ill. Imagine your mind when you were full of worry. Next, imagine your heart. When it is full of sorrow and yearning.
3. Yearn
Now in your heart, yearn for the Divine. Think of yourself when you were very thirsty and you were yearning for water. Or when you were hungry and you're yearning for food and with that yearning in your heart, yearn for the Divine.
And then yearn for in your mind to have tranquility.
And yearn for your body to have health.
And yearn for our society to have reconciliation.
And yearn for the nations of the world to have peace.
And yearn for the sun and the solar system to continue floating through space.
And yearn for the Milky Way to continue its process of floating.
In returning again to a yearning through this journey from the cosmos to the world, to the societies, to our relationships, to our body, to our mind, to our heart focus especially on our society.
People that are as unique as can be and alike as can be. Imagine a raindrop falling from the sky, unique from every other raindrop. And when it lands eventually in the river, it is the happiest because it is with all the other raindrops. Or imagine a tree in the forest as unique as every other tree. And yet, this tree lives in harmony with all the other trees, giving nourishment to all the other trees, and receiving nourishment from all the other trees. So in the world, yearn for that peace. Yarn from depths of your being for that peace. And in your relationships, consider they with whom you have had conflict. And yearn for that rancor to be washed out of your hearts. And they with whom you have a strong relationship, you yearn for it to become even stronger.
And bringing this back to your heart, yearn for the Divine to keep installing yearning in your heart for the Divine. To use that as fuel. To provide clarity in your mind, health in your body, healing in your relationships, peace and justice in the world. Unification with nature. And the universe.
May peace be upon us all.
November 15, 2024
Examen: Peace and Reconciliation
SUMMARY: This Examen asks you to reflect on wonder, order and disorder, and yearning.
PRESENTER: Omer Mozaffar, Muslim Chaplain, Campus Ministry
Transcript
We begin with the name of God.
Creator of all.
Position yourself as a witness to the Milky Way Galaxy. Think of how infinitesimally small it is compared to the universe that contains it. And yet, one of the honors of the universe is that it is the creation of the Divine. Thus, one of the of the honors of the Milky Way is that it is a creation of the Divine, and thus its value is immeasurable.
1. Wonder
And now zoom in to that infinitesimally small solar system floating along one of the spires of the Milky Way. Again honored as the creation of the Divine and thus having the highest of value.
And zoom in to the sun around which the planets revolve. Again, compared to the Milky Way, infinitesimally small. Compared to the universe, even immeasurably smaller. And yet it is honored as a creation of the Divine and thus immeasurable.
And zoom in further to the planet Earth. Compared to the sun, so small. And yet of immeasurable value, honored it as a creation of the Divine.
And zoom in to the many nations and many communities across the world. Each, when looked at from space, impossible to see except for the land and the oceans. And yet each nation, constructed by people, still creations of the Divine and still of immeasurable value.
And zoom in even closer to any given population in the world. Consider one population of a family together. And consider this family of even more value than the Earth, even more than the Sun, even more than the Milky Way, even more than the universe.
And bring it closer. Consider yourself standing or sitting wherever you are. Infinitesimally small compared to the nation that we are in. And consider how much you have been honored just by virtue of being a creation of the Divine. Immeasurable in value.
And bring it closer. Consider your physical body. Feel your toes. Feel your feet. Feel your ankles. Up to your knees. Up to your waist. Move up to your chest. Move across your shoulders. Down to your elbows and through your fingers.
Moving from the body, move to your mind. Processing what you're listening to, imagining what you're imagining. But as astonishing a gift that your body is, consider what an astonishing gift your mind is.
And move from the mind to your heart. Your core. It is through all of these that we connect to the Divine, but especially through your heart.
2. Order and Disorder
Now. Turning to the Milky Way. Think of the fact that the Milky Way operates in order, spinning around. Think of the fact that the planets spin around the sun according to an order. Think of the fact that communities run according to an order. Think of the homeostasis of your body. Think of the consistent processing of your mind. And think of the patterns of your heart.
But now think of disorder. Imagine within the Milky Way, stars crashing into each other. Imagine within the solar system a meteor crashing into the moon. Imagine in the world, conflict.
Add more. Imagine in our society, the tensions related to leadership and the selection and election of leadership. Imagine your body when it is ill. Imagine your mind when you were full of worry. Next, imagine your heart. When it is full of sorrow and yearning.
3. Yearn
Now in your heart, yearn for the Divine. Think of yourself when you were very thirsty and you were yearning for water. Or when you were hungry and you're yearning for food and with that yearning in your heart, yearn for the Divine.
And then yearn for in your mind to have tranquility.
And yearn for your body to have health.
And yearn for our society to have reconciliation.
And yearn for the nations of the world to have peace.
And yearn for the sun and the solar system to continue floating through space.
And yearn for the Milky Way to continue its process of floating.
In returning again to a yearning through this journey from the cosmos to the world, to the societies, to our relationships, to our body, to our mind, to our heart focus especially on our society.
People that are as unique as can be and alike as can be. Imagine a raindrop falling from the sky, unique from every other raindrop. And when it lands eventually in the river, it is the happiest because it is with all the other raindrops. Or imagine a tree in the forest as unique as every other tree. And yet, this tree lives in harmony with all the other trees, giving nourishment to all the other trees, and receiving nourishment from all the other trees. So in the world, yearn for that peace. Yarn from depths of your being for that peace. And in your relationships, consider they with whom you have had conflict. And yearn for that rancor to be washed out of your hearts. And they with whom you have a strong relationship, you yearn for it to become even stronger.
And bringing this back to your heart, yearn for the Divine to keep installing yearning in your heart for the Divine. To use that as fuel. To provide clarity in your mind, health in your body, healing in your relationships, peace and justice in the world. Unification with nature. And the universe.
May peace be upon us all.