EquinoxCelebration — revision 1893

Equanimity at the Fall Equinox Wednesday, September 22, 2010 Welcome Brandon Sanders Opening Words and Lighting of the Chalice Benjamin Sibelman Spirit of Life Spirit of Life, come unto me. Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion. Blow in the wind, rise in the sea; Move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice. Roots hold me close; wings set me free; Spirit of Life, come to me, come to me. The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry Judy Sibelman Silence John Vliet American Tune Judy and Steve Sibelman Children’s Story Brandon Sanders Equanimity: A Reader’s Theatre With thanks to the Buddha, Thich Nhat Hanh, and with some direct quotes from Buddhism for Mothers by Sarah Napthali Ted Ernst, Heather Vliet, Shelley Sanders Discussion Come Sing a Song with Me Come, sing a song with me, Come, sing a song with me, Come, sing a song with me, That I might know your mind. Come dream a dream with me . . . Come walk in rain with me . . . Come share a rose with me . . . Chorus: And I’ll bring you hope When hope is hard to find And I’ll bring a song of love And a rose in the wintertime. Closing Words and Extinguishing of the Chalice Stacey: Equanimity, we welcome you into our lives. All: We let go of small-mindedness, pursuit of pleasure, fear of pain. Women: We embrace the Equinox. Men: We embrace equanimity. All: We embrace all that life presents. Stacey: So may it be. All: Blessed be. Equanimity A Reader’s Theatre for the Fall Equinox With thanks to the Buddha, Thich Nhat Hanh, and with some direct quotes from Buddhism for Mothers by Sarah Napthali T: Ted Ernst H: Heather Vliet S: Shelley Sanders T: It’s the Equinox, H: One of two days out of the year when the day and night are equal. From now until Winter Solstice, the nights will get longer All: and longer, H: the trees will get bright orange and red and yellow leaves, and then the leaves will All: drop. S: There is resistance in my heart this time of year. I drag my heels. Is summer really over? H: [echo] Over? T: [decisively] Over! H: Can’t we have just one more sunny weekend? T: But the wheel turns and the seasons march onward. Now is a time for looking back and looking forward, for holding gently our past and future selves – a time to look and see without judging. H: Without judging? T: Without judging. Terra circles Sol. H: No matter how we resist . . . S: or judge . . . H: The pumpkins will ripen, the leaves will fall, the nights will lengthen. T: Terra is spinning around Sol. S: And my resistance is futile? T: Laughable, really. S: [laughs] Laughable, yes. And just so, no matter how I try to avoid or attract pleasure and pain, I experience them both in my turn. H: So . . . the human heart can hold both joy and sorrow. S: And with Equanimity we can hold both praise and blame. H: Gain and loss. S: Pleasure and pain. T: Fame and disrepute. S: The Buddha’s eight worldly conditions cycle just as surely as the seasons. [pause] T: “[Equanimity] is the ability to perceive all aspects of our lives with acceptance and patience” rather than with reactivity. H: “There is no perfection in the world and we don’t have to be perfect. . . . We work with the life that is mysteriously ours with its own particular weave of love and pain. And we agree to be present to it, to accept the offer moment by moment, to develop unlimited friendliness for what is and who we are.” S: Unlimited friendliness for what is and who we are. T: Equanimity means cultivating a spacious mind. S: A spacious mind? T: A spacious mind has a peace unaffected by changing conditions. A small mind buzzes like a bee trapped in a car . . . H: [whispering quickly] I should be reading to the children; I should be folding the laundry; I should be preparing dinner; I should be meditating. T: A spacious mind is a bee in a mountain meadow, fully present in the moment without judging the moment. H: [deliberately, thoughtfully, with a pause after each sentence] I am reading to the children. I am folding laundry. I am preparing dinner. I am meditating. T: A little poison in a cup will kill. A little poison in a great lake will not. S: A spacious mind, an open meadow, a great lake. H: Inclusiveness T: Even-mindedness S: Non-attachment H: Non-discrimination T: Balance S: Freedom from extremes H: Letting go All: Equanimity.