Wilderness and paradise

Our spiritual desert has a double quality:
wilderness and paradise.
wilderness because in this desert
we struggle against wild beasts of attack,
the demons of boredom, sadness, anger and pride.
Paradise because we meet God.

In this strange new world with no roof tops, no cocks crowing, no concert hall or orchestra;
a treeless place, with neon lights glaring out of the high-rises,
far from books, discussion groups, cultural opportunities and lecture halls,
I have found you - my friends, my teachers my cheerleaders.
I want to be to you at least as much as you have been to me.

We come from different worlds
so far apart
not only in miles
but also in thinking, feeling, acting.

I know the language of Sanskrit
- carefully drawn letters: a message in themselves
that reach deeper into the soul than their meaning alone.

Here I learn a new alphabet,
one that spells patience, humility, joy, hope and love
in a wholly new way:
the way of the poor,
the way of the victims of oppression and exploiters,
witnesses of the crucified and risen Lord,
the way of God who became a servant.

To find a unity that transcends all distances and differences
a spiritual unity
that cannot be undone by any human-made boundaries
a friendship made possible
by the divine love reflected in all of us
is the wisdom of this work

Choicest blessings,
Lovingly… your own… Shantiji