snagging a spot of silence

for Silence

the silence of hearing

silence looking about

the silence of self 

is pleasure most scarce

one grabs for the treasure

a waif bear in hands 

clinging to the pleasure

till grace fills the space

and smiles up the face

as the treasures spill forth

to the hole in the soul

the spots a longing

a foundling

a babe upon a step

awaiting the loving 

embracing the nurturance

welcoming the Grace

*Our responsibilities are derived from our daily situation, from the people around us and those whom we may encounter occasionally.  Our awareness and the inner freedom we experience help us listen to the inner voice that points out our obligations: the voice of conscience.

-Ilan Amit

*Our obligation toward the other, as I understand it, does not stem from moral precepts, even though such precepts have an important role to play in our common life - our tradition, culture, and state. Our obligation toward the other is founded on a spontaneous feeling of love and compassion that we experience toward the other, toward our children, parents, partners, siblings, and friends.  We may also experience compassion and love toward a stranger whose troubled glance we have just met. When we become aware of the love and compassion surging within us we see that we are not alone, not disconnected and separate individuals.  Despite having separate bodies we are, in a sense, parts of a single soul.

-Ilan Amit