The Peace Abbey I (photo essay)

The Peace Abbey is a multi-faith peace center.  I discovered it when my son was seven.  He is nineteen, now.  It has changed very little, it has been a place that I have visited over the years.  At one point I wished for my son to attend their Life Experience School (which may not be out of the question, now that he is older) but at that time he was too young.

I will comment as I post the photographs and let my heart speak about this place as it wishes.

The Peace Abbey is situated in Sherborn, Mass.  Above you can see the monuments of Emily the cow who escaped her slaughter and ran to The Peace Abbey, and  you can see if you look closely the distant silhouette of Gandhi and walls which radiate outwards from his monument made of brick and dressed with plaques.

As you can see, these brick walls are themselves monuments to peace.  Each plaque has a quote by some famous peacemaker, and at the end of each wall there are peace prayers for each of the major twelve faiths of the world.

I want to put up each peace prayer from each of the major faiths but this would be an enormous blog, so I am doing it in two parts.  Maybe more.

This giant bronze replica of Gandhi is powerful indeed.  I feel that no matter what angle I approach it from, I cannot capture the energy it possesses in a photograph.  Can I?  The sun was in a mixed angle, and this was the angle I wanted, darnit!

I have other angles, but this is the one I chose to share with you!

I felt sort of sad about money being left there and not tiny gems or stones or something ELSE.  But that is what Americans consider to be of value.  And so here we see money.

Ironically, The Peace Abbey must be sold unless somebody can donate the money with the right intent for the place to continue it's work.  Anybody who would buy The Peace Abbey could not own it for their own personal intentions or change it in any way.  Preferably it would be bought by a group or entity who could afford it and let the place operate as it still does now.  I don't understand why a place like this should be hurting for money, because it's only intent is to promote peace, knowledge and honor those of all faiths by providing a place for all to worship.

The Peace Abbey will NOT ask for donations.  Anybody who gives to The Peace Abbey must do so because they themselves have initiated that giving.  The Peace Abbey is in a humble position.  Their greatest passion and intent is world peace;  harmony between all religions and people of the world.

"EARTH will keep you tight within her arms, dear one, so that tomorrow you will be transformed into flowers.  This moment you will weep no more, dear one, we have gone through too deep a night.  This morning, yes, this morning, I kneel down on the green grass and I notice your presence.  'O, flowers that speak to me in silence, the message of love and understanding has indeed come."
~Thich Nhat Hanh

Hummingbird Vine, one of my all-time favorite vines--the first thing I saw when I got out of the van.

"May  honor be bestowed upon these conscientous objectors who walked the earth spreading the tradition of nonviolence to future generations...Cremated remains of the following peacemakers are buried on this hill:  Norman Nylund (1969-1986), Paramal Das (1905-1988), Pat Farren (1944-1988), Neita Demotte (1935-1998), Zell Draz (1923-2001), David Dellinger (1915-2004), Wally Nelson (1909-2002), Chuck Matthei (1948-2002)...'The earth is too small a planet and we too brief a visitor upon it for anything to matter more than the struggle for peace' ~Colman McCarthy"

At a time when America is so caught up in their concerns over the war, why can't human beings simply act and live peace?  I see it in churches--people divided and fighting about money and where it should go and for what cause.

I have a dream to create a Garden of Eden before I die, a place where people can come to find their centers and be transformed by inner peace.  I plan to bring that plan to fruition before I die.

We all come from the same place.

Here is the beloved, sacred Emily.  When I started going to The Peace Abbey eleven or twelve years ago, Emily was still living.  She was very cute and gentle.  At that time there were other cows and sheep who had come to The Peace Abbey by chance from local slaughter farms by "chance".  There were pigs, chickens, and now I only visited two tiny sheep.  NOT to undermine their importance!

On the side of the empty barn, there is a small shrine dedicated to the unknown civilians who have died in war.  You can see the Buddhist prayer flags above, and in the forefront are flags from every country in the world.  To the top right of the photo, hanging, is a bundle of origami strings.  Also not visible at the bottom of the photo, is a kneeling altar.

The Peace Abbey

Peace.  Kindness.  Love.  Justice.

"Like the bee gathering honey from the different flowers, the wise person accepts the essence of the different scriptures and sees ony the good in all religions."
~ Mahatma Gandhi

HINDU PRAYER FOR PEACE

Oh, God, lead us from the unreal to the Real.  Oh, God, lead us from the darkness to the light.  Oh, God, lead us from death to immortality.  Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all.  Oh, Lord God almighty, may there be peace in celestial regions.  May there be peace on earth.  May the waters be appeasing.  May herbs be wholesome, and may trees and plants bring peace to all.  May all beneficient beings bring peace to us.  May thy Vedic Law propagate peace all through the world.  May all things be a source of peace to us.  And may thy peace itself, bestow peace on all, and may that peace come to me also.

BUDDHIST PRAYER FOR PEACE

May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind quickly be freed from their illnesses.  May those frightened cease to be afraid, and may those bound be free.  May the powerless find power, and may people think of befriending one another.  May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wildernesses--the children, the aged, the unprotected--be guarded by beneficent celestials, and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.

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I ask that while you view the next essay and photographs you view them with thoughts of world peace and the end of suffering.  I almost feel guilty showing these photographs, it goes against my grain;  I only wish to spread a message as far as it will go.  In the spirit of the intent of The Peace Abbey I wish to show this place to you, using my gift of word and photography.

It is an honor for me to know this place.