Monday, May 31, 2010 This week’s Food for Thought – May 31, 2010

I’ll tell you briefly the fine qualities

Of those on the path of compassion:

Giving, and ethics, patience, and effort,

Concentrating,  wisdom,  compassion and such.

Giving is giving away what you have,

And ethics is doing good to others.

Patience is giving up feelings of anger,

And effort is joy that increases all good.

Concentration’s one-pointed, free of bad thoughts,

And wisdom decides what truth really is.

Compassion’s a kind of high intelligence

Mixed deep with a love for all living kind.

Giving brings wealth, a good world comes from ethics;

Patience brings beauty, eminence comes from effort.

Concentration brings peace, and from wisdom comes freedom;

Compassion achieves everything we all wish for.

A person who takes all seven of these

And perfects them together will reach

That place of inconceivable knowledge,

No less than the world’s protector.

—Nagarjuna, String of Precious Jewels