Boy With A Mirror

It was during October a few years ago when I traveled throughout India on a guided spiritual tour to many of the holiest sites in the world.  We visited an extraordinary “wonder of the world” in the towns of Ajanta and Ellora where ancient Buddhist caves were carved out of a mountainside nearly two thousand years ago.  We chanted mantras inside the dimly lit cavern beside the towering stone Buddha and marveled at the cave paintings and stone carvings intricately crafted by candlelight. However the deepest impression that remains with me was not of the caves, but that of a young boy, perhaps twelve.  The boy stood hour after hour outside the entrance to the cave holding a large, heavy mirror that he struggled to brace against his body.  The mirror captured the sunlight and reflected the light into the entrance of the cave to illuminate the Buddha statue inside so that it could be seen. The boy’s devotion took my breath away as he used himself to catch the light and become the light, thereby reflecting the light for others.  When offered payment by well meaning tourists, he politely refused and bowed with a greeting, Namaste, which means the God in me honors the God in you. Whether we travel to mountaintops and ancient shrines or traverse the inner landscapes of our own journey, each of our lights can shine and reflect the light we see in others. We are more alike than different. Together our lights intensify and help to heal our aching world.

With That Moon Language by Hafez
Admit something:
Everyone you see, you say to them,
“Love me.”
Of course you do not do this out loud;
Otherwise,
Someone would call the cops.
Still though, think about this,
This great pull in us to connect.
Why not become the one
Who lives with a full moon in each eye
That is always saying
With that sweet moon
Language
What every other eye in this world
Is dying to
Hear.