Election

 

"The kingdom of heaven is within you." This is Jesus's radical teaching on sovereignty. Sovereignty over our lives lies neither in the power of the state nor the authority of bureaucrats, but in our own heart, as a divine gift. I always remember this with joy, and not anxiety, at a time of national decision as I practice the sacrament of voting, and choose that form of government which bequeaths the greatest sovereignty to the light of Christ-Consciousness within, and not to the state.

Image: 'The Peaceable Kingdom' by Quaker artist Edward Hicks

Smile

What makes you smile? It doesn't need to be a loud smile, a roaring smile, just a soft smile, quietly certain of Being. The fragrant fur of your dog can make you smile, the chirp of a green frog who lives under the gardenia on your back porch, the gentle kiss of your beloved. Merge with your smile, not the image but the feeling inside it, the softness. Let every cell in your body smile. Let this softness overflow into the meadows and woods, the mountains, the clouds, the stars, pervading all time past, time future, the smile of the Buddha. Shakyamuni came not to teach any doctrine, only to smile. Christ came not to teach any doctrine, only to smile. This rose, blossoming at the last day of your garden as Winter approaches, came not to teach any doctrine, but only to smile.