Queen of the Prairie
The queen of the prairie arrived this week in Linda’s flower garden and it really stands out in the garden mix as it’s the only pink flower at the moment (plus it has a most elegant name). Summer is a grand procession of flowers…
This Sunday Steve Kinney is sharing a talk titled “Maybe Spiritual After All” based on a poem by Gerald Manley Hopkins. I’ll be leading the service but it’s great to have members of our group contribute throughout the summer.
We have a sign-up list in the coffee room if you’d like to lead a service or share a talk. We are currently looking to upgrade our camera setup for recording Sunday services and are in a transition period for the next couple of weeks.
Services may be delayed but each one will (eventually) be posted on our church website and YouTube Channel. If you would like to join us for zoom coffee hour the link will be active by 11:15 on Sunday morning.
The Houlton Congregational Church is holding a special service of Celebration and Leave Taking on August 8th at 11AM as they meet for the last time after two hundred and ten years as a religious organization in our community.
UUHoulton will be joining them for the service and hosting a reception in their honor afterwards. If you are interested in helping out with the reception there is a planning meeting this Sunday during coffee hour.
Have a great week-end everyone.
Practice patience and kindness.
In Ministry,
Dave
HERE IS THE ZOOM COFFEE HOUR LINK FOR SUNDAY:
(It may take us until 11:15 to get the zoom set up and ready so keep that in mind…)
David Hutchinson is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: UU zoom coffee hourTime: Jul 18, 2021 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Every week on Sun, 1 occurrence(s) Jul 18, 2021 11:00 AMPlease download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.Weekly: https://zoom.us/meeting/tJcsdOurrzgpGdSJ0pEiLYic-qWCEOoe1J6t/ics?icsToken=98tyKuCrrzgoGdWWsxqHRowqBYjCa-nzmHZejadutk_1Jil_Wwr1e_N1EZdQH92B
Join Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/93132313330?pwd=WU1PSkE3S1o2TkJ5L3BGYnJQZDV0UT09
Meeting ID: 931 3231 3330Passcode: 335011One tap mobile+16465588656,,93132313330#,,,,*335011# US (New York)+13017158592,,93132313330#,,,,*335011# US (Washington DC)
Dial by your location +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)Meeting ID: 931 3231 3330Passcode: 335011Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/adyxJol4hS
Last Week’s Service was recorded and is now also available for viewing on our YouTube channel:
Virtual Offering Plate
If you would like to send in your pledge or donation simply drop an envelope in the mail. The address is listed below. Thank you for your support!
UU Church of Houlton61 Military StreetHoulton, ME 04730
Only Genuine Compassion Will Do
BY THE DALAI LAMA| JULY 6, 2021
It’s not sufficient, says the Dalai Lama, to simply think that compassion is important. We must transform our thoughts and behavior on a daily basis to cultivate compassion without attachment.
Before we can generate compassion and love, it is important to have a clear understanding of what we understand compassion and love to be. In simple terms, compassion and love can be defined as positive thoughts and feelings that give rise to such essential things in life as hope, courage, determination, and inner strength. In the Buddhist tradition, compassion and love are seen as two aspects of the same thing: Compassion is the wish for another being to be free from suffering; love is wanting them to have happiness.
It is not enough to believe that compassion is important and to think about how nice it is!
Self-centeredness inhibits our love for others, and we are all afflicted by it to one degree or another. For true happiness to come about, we need a calm mind, and such peace of mind is brought about only by a compassionate attitude. How can we develop this attitude? Obviously, it is not enough for us simply to believe that compassion is important and to think about how nice it is! We need to make a concerted effort to develop it; we must use all the events of our daily life to transform our thoughts and behavior.
Many forms of compassionate feeling are mixed with desire and attachment. For instance, the love parents feel for their child is often strongly associated with their own emotional needs, so it is not fully compassionate. Usually when we are concerned about a close friend, we call this compassion, but it too is usually attachment. Even in marriage, the love between husband and wife—particularly at the beginning, when each partner still may not know the other’s deeper character very well—depends more on attachment than genuine love. Marriages that last only a short time do so because they lack compassion; they are produced by emotional attachment based on projection and expectation, and as soon as the projections change, the attachment disappears. Our desire can be so strong that the person to whom we are attached appears flawless, when in fact he or she has many faults. In addition, attachment makes us exaggerate small, positive qualities. When this happens, it indicates that our love is motivated more by personal need than by genuine care for another.
Compassion without attachment is possible. Therefore, we need to clarify the distinctions between compassion and attachment. True compassion is not just an emotional response but a firm commitment founded on reason. Because of this firm foundation, a truly compassionate attitude toward others does not change even if they behave negatively. Genuine compassion is based not on our own projections and expectations, but rather on the needs of the other: irrespective of whether another person is a close friend or an enemy, as long as that person wishes for peace and happiness and wishes to overcome suffering, then on that basis we develop genuine concern for their problem. This is genuine compassion. For a Buddhist practitioner, the goal is to develop this genuine compassion, this genuine wish for the well-being of another, in fact for every living being throughout the universe.Adapted from The Compassionate Life, by the Dalai Lama. © 2001 Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. Available from Wisdom Publications.The Dalai Lama turned 86 on July 6th.
Birthday Message from The Dalai Lama
Now I’m just one human being. Many people really show they love me, and many people actually love my smile. In spite of my old age, my face is quite handsome. Many people really show me genuine friendship.
Now that it’s nearly my birthday, I want to express my deep appreciation for all of my friends who have really shown me love, respect, and trust. I want to express my thanks. For myself, I can assure you that for the rest of my life, I’m committed to serving humanity and working to protect the climate condition. Since I became a refugee and now settled in India, I have taken full advantage of India’s freedom and religious harmony. I want to assure you that for the rest of my life, I’ll be fully committed to this work. And then also, I really appreciate the Indian concept of secular values, not dependent on religion, such as honesty, karuna (compassion), and ahimsa (non-violence).
So, my dear friends, on my birthday, this is my gift. Please keep it in mind. I myself am committed to non-violence and compassion until my death. This is my offering to my friends. I hope my friends will also keep non-violence and compassion for the rest of your lives. So firstly, this is like a report about my life. And secondly, all my human brothers, sisters, should keep these two things, non-violence and compassion, until your death. Thank you.
Joys & Concerns
When one of us is blessed we are all blessed.When one of us experiences sorrow we all feel the pain.
JOY
The UU cherry tree is full of cherries! It is a bumper crop of cherries this year so PLEASE stop by and pick some for jellies, pies, muffins and eating pleasure.
A big thank you to Shawn Ireland for volunteering to mow our lawn this summer. He and Carol Cromwell are helping to keep our lawn and grounds beautiful.
CONCERNS
High rainfall and flooding lead to serious damage in parts of Germany and the Netherlands. Please pray for those affected by the floods and loss of life.
Please continue to send in joys and concerns during the week to revdav@mfx.net and I will post them on the Support Page.
The joy or the sorrow of one is shared by all. May our hearts be as one on this day. Let us carry each thought or concern expressed in our heart and may the light of our love and compassion transform suffering into non suffering and ease the difficulties of life. We radiate love and the light that we are. Blessed are we all.
Prayer List
For those recovering from COVID-19 in the state of Maine
Local emergency personnel and hospital staffFor our state and national leaders as they respond to the current coronavirus crisis
For those working for social justice and societal change Pray for peaceful action and democratic process in our nation
Prayers for Asian-American communities in our country
Prayers for the heat wave in the American West and wide spread drought conditionsPrayers for the friends and families of those who died in the Miami tragedy.
Prayers for those affected by the floods in Europe
The Four Limitless Ones Prayer
May all sentient beings enjoy happiness and the root of happiness.
May we be free from suffering and the root of suffering.
May we not be separated from the great happiness devoid of suffering.
May we dwell in the great equanimity free from anger, aggression and exclusion.
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