You should have heard our Third Baptist Church senior minister speak after he read the paragraph on nonviolence! He had thousands of people on their feet.

Not only is it not a fairy tale, but this selection was read at a huge assembly in San Francisco and each paragraph was applauded wildly and each religious leader said a few words of his or her own as they read the paragraphs. The pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church of SF, Rev. Penny Nixon, received a standing ovation when, after reading her paragraph, she implored our nation's leaders to remember that "justice does not always equal retaliation."

In a way, the audience was self selected, so we could expect them to agree. It was announced on Thursday or Friday as an interfaith celebration, so only people who had some degree of religious tolerance were going to attend in the first place. But keep in mind that this was chaired by our mayor, Willie Brown, and speakers included Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and Representative Nancy Pelosi. So the message is going to Washington that people here, at least, are applauding understanding and urging compassion and giving standing ovations to calls for reason.

It was incredibly gratifying.

Peace.

May all beings be free from suffering.

May the merit of my meditation and any good acts I undertake be dedicated to the happiness and liberation of all beings.

~ ~ ~
All meetings end in separation
All acquisition ends in dispersion
All life ends in death
- The Buddha

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='_'=

Every hundred years, all new people