A post-election perspective from American Zen teacher Cheri Huber.

"I have just three things to teach: Simplicity, Patience, Compassion.

These three are your greatest treasures. Simple in actions and in thoughts, you return to the source of being. Patient with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world." —Lao-Tzu

Cheri's message: "It is time to reconcile all beings in the world. Peace is no longer just a good idea, a dream without any real belief. We can no longer hope that war and violence can defend and protect. We must choose peace if we are to survive. We must make a radical turn from the right, and a radical turn from the left. We must make our way back to center. Not a political center, but the center of our being. We must become a good friend to those who agree with us and those who do not. We must invite everyone to the table; we must sit together, share, learn, listen, open our hearts, and, together, move to the place that is most compassionate to all.

"The lyrics of Blessing To The World by Karen Drucker and Reverend David Bruner tell us, 'You are the heart, you are the hands, you are the voice of spirit on earth, and who you are and all you do is a blessing to the world.' While it is true that you and I and all our fellow beings are the hands and the heart and the voice of spirit on earth, it is not true that all we do is a blessing to the world. What we do can be a blessing to the world, and for that reason we must choose carefully.

"The quality of our life is determined by the focus of our attention. When our attention is focused on anger, resistance, hatred, and judgment, that's our experience of life. We have been conditioned to believe that focusing on what we don't want will get us what we do want. As with so much of what we've been taught to believe, that simply isn't true. When we focus on what we want, we have what we want. If I want to feel love, I must love. If I want a compassionate world, I must make my world compassionate. If I want to feel peace, I must be peaceful. It is possible to turn our attention away from what we do not choose and toward what we do choose. And, it is helpful to have friends along the way.

"I am writing to hold out my hand to you in the hopes that you will take my hand and, in turn, offer your hand to another. One by one we will reach out, joining hands and hearts and minds. We will give and receive strength and courage. And, together, we will represent and express a peaceful, compassionate alternative to a world torn apart by hatred and violence. We are the heart, we are the hands, we are the voice of spirit on earth,and who we are and all we do will be a blessing to the world."

In loving kindness, Cheri

P.S. If you would like a tangible reminder of this message, the monks at the Zen Monastery Practice Center are making prayer flags that will be available soon. You can also sign up to have a daily Peace quote sent to your email address. To sign up, visit our mailing list page on the Living Compassion website. If you would like to sign up for the Living Compassion newsletter, visit our mailing list page on the Living Compassion website." http://www.livingcompassion.org

Note from Lipstick Mystic: Bravo, Cheri!

You can learn more about this gentle teacher and gifted speaker at her website: http://www.cherihuber.com