Zensters @ the El Paso Interfaith Alliance Prayer for Peace Service

Earlier in October El Paso/Juarez/El Paso Interfaith Alliance asked Both Sides / No Sides Zen Community to participate in their Prayer Service for Peace. Temple Mount Sinai, with Rabbi Larry Bach, hosted the event. Various traditions  participated, including a number of Christian congregations, Jewish, Muslim, Baiha'i, Native American and the Unitarian Universalist Community. The service was on a Tuesday night, our night for services, but our members wanted to attend. Happily, nine or ten from our community attended. Representatives from each community were asked to read a sacred text and a prayer that spoke to the ideals to peace in the world and in ourselves. Polly Shikan Perez and Bobby Kankin Byrd (me) were the readers, our Eno Dr. Rodrigo Ceballos rang bells to punctuate the beginning and end of each tradition's contribution (he also rang a Tibetan singing bell during lighting of candles, and the wonderful sound reverberated beautifully in the spacious temple ceiling), and our youngest member Johnny Hollandbyrd lit a candle. Polly suggested we read "The Three Refuges" for the text and the "Fueko" for our prayer. I rewrote each (embellished the Fueko some) to make them more accessible to a general audience. We had some old translations, but Polly and Rodrigo modified them and checked them. It was a nice event, well attended, and we were delighted to be included in the service.

Below are our contributions to the service.

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TEXT AND PRAYER  

Alliance Interfaith Prayer Service

Temple Mount Sinai, October 8, 2013

San-ki-rai-mon  / The Three Refuges

▪

We take refuge in our true nature

Together with all beings;

May we understand through our bodies

This cosmic life leading

To the incommensurate awakened mind.

▪

We take refuge in our sacred texts

Together with all beings;

May we embody the scriptures,

The great compassionate wisdom,

Vast as the ocean.

▪

We take refuge in our communities

Together with all beings;

May we live with each other

The life of harmony,

Which is without attachment.

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San-ki-rai-mon  / La Invocación de los tres refugios

▪

Tomamos refugio en nuestra verdadera identidad natural

Juntos con todos los seres

Para entender a través de nuestros cuerpos

a esta vida cósmica que nos conduce

a la vida incomparablemente despierta

▪

Tomamos refugio en nuestras escrituras sagradas,

Juntos con todos los seres

abrasaremos las escrituras

y la gran sabiduría de compasión

tan profunda como el mar

▪

Tomamos refugio en nuestras comunidades sagradas

Juntos con todos los seres

Que viviremos juntos

una vida de armonía

Sin deseo y sin apego

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Prayer for Peace

May our efforts to bring peace to our world honor all those beings—women and men, known and unknown—who gave their lives bringing abundant good to all of us and to the earth. May the merit of this gathering penetrate into each thing and all places so that we and every human being together can realize our true nature and the perfection of compassion and wisdom.

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Oración por la Paz

Que nuestros esfuerzos para traer la paz a nuestro mundo sean con honor a todos los seres —hombres y mujeres, conocidos y desconocidos — que dieron sus vidas en hacer mucho bien en la tierra. Que el mérito de esta reunión se penetre en cada cosa y en todo lugar para que nosotros y todos juntos podramos realizar nuestra verdadera naturaleza y la perfección de la compasión y la sensatez.