Prayers of Unity and Oneness

Truth is one: sages call it by various names.
It is the one sun who reflects in all the ponds;
It is the one water which slakes the thirst of all;
It is the one air which sustains all life;
It is the one fire which shines in all houses.
Colors of the cows may be different, but milk
is white;
Flowers and bees may be different, but honey
is the same;
Systems of faiths may be different, but God is one.

As the rain dropping from the sky wends its way
towards the ocean,
So the prostrations offered in all faiths reach the
One God, who is supreme.

~ Rig Veda

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is One.
Praised be His name whose glorious kingdom is
forever and ever.

~ The Shema

The God Kuni-Tokotachi (the Earthly Eternal Divine Being)
Is One, and at the same time, the eight hundred myriads
of deities.
It is the One Great Common Root of Heaven and Earth;
All things in the universe are in this one God.
From the beginning of the universe to its very end,
The God Kuni-Tokotachi exists everlastingly.

~ Izawa-Nagahide

From ancient times these things have arisen from the One:
Heaven is clear because of the One,
The earth is firm because of the One,
The spirit is strong because of the One,
The valley is full because of the One,
The ten thousand things reproduce because of the One,
Leaders are able to lead because of the One.

All of this comes from the One.

If heaven were not clear it would soon split.
If the earth were not firm it would soon bend and break,
If the Spirit were not strong it would soon wear out.
If the valley were not full it would soon dry up.
If the ten thousand things did not reproduce they would
Soon die out.
If leaders could not lead they would soon fall.

Therefore, greatness has its source in the little.
The low is the foundation of the high.

~ Lao Tsu

May all beings be filled with joy and peace.
May all beings everywhere,
The strong and the weak,
The great and the small,
The mean and the powerful,

The short and the long, the subtle and the gross.
May all beings everywhere,
Seen and unseen,
Dwelling far off or nearby,
Being or waiting to become:

May all be filled with lasting joy.
Let no one deceive another,
Let no one anywhere despise another,
Let no one out of anger or resentment
Wish suffering on anyone at all.
Just as a mother with her own life
Protects her child, her only child, from harm,
So within yourself let grow
A boundless love for all creatures.

Let your love flow outward through the universe,
To its height, its depth, its broad extent,
A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.

Then as you stand or walk,
Sit or lie down; as long as you are awake,
Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;
Your life will bring heaven to earth.

~ Sutta Nipata, Pali Text

You, the one
From whom on different paths
All of us have come.

To whom on different paths
All of us are going.
Make strong in our hearts what unites us;

Build bridges across all that divides us;
United make us rejoice in our diversity;
At one in our witness to your peace,
A rainbow of your glory. Amen

~ Brother David Steindl-Rast

Most gracious Lord, Master, Messiah, and Savior
of Humanity, we greet You with all humility.
You are the First Cause and the First Effect,
The Divine Light and the Spirit of Guidance,
Alpha and Omega.
Your Light is in all forms, Your love in all beings:
In a loving mother, in a kind father,
In an innocent child,
In a helpful friend,
In an inspiring teacher.
Allow us to recognize You in all Your holy names
and forms:
As Rama, as Krishna, as Shiva, as Buddha.
Let us know You as Abraham, as Solomon,
as Zarathustra,
As Moses, as Jesus, as Muhammad,
And in many other names and forms,
Known and unknown in the world.
We adore Your past;
Your Presence deeply enlightens our being,
and we look for Your blessing in the future,
O Messenger, Christ, Nabi, the Rasul of God!
You Whose heart constantly reaches upward,
You come on earth with a Message,
As a dove from above when Dharma decays,
And speaks the Word that is put into Your mouth,
As the light fills the crescent moon.
Let the star of the Divine Light shining in Your heart
Be reflected in the hearts of Your devotees.
May the Message of God reach far and wide,
Illuminating and making the whole humanity
As one single brotherhood in the Fatherhood of God.
Amen

~ Salat, by Hazrat Inayat Khan, Sufi master

Various are the manifestations of God and various His ways.
Various are the guises He assumes, but He is ever One.
He evolves in a myriad of ways,
The One Lord, the Eternal, the Absolute.
His presence is diffused everywhere,
And he plays His many roles in an instant.
How variously He has arranged the scenes,
And only He can value the worth of His performance.
All hearts are His, also all places.
I live by contemplation of His Name.

~ Guru Arjan

Kwanzaa Day One – Unity

Unite My Brothers and Sisters.
Here we are on distant shores
searching for loved ones lost,
knowing their pain and suffering
was an ocean of love lost.
Can’t you see the sun is shining
bringing energies of love to all.
Come my people unite together.
Wake up, standup, be the love for all.
The bells are ringing, it is time
to answer the call of one.
Get together my brothers and sisters;
it’s time you must unite as one.
Unite, Unite, it’s time, it’s time,
you must unite as one.
Hold together brothers and sisters;
it’s time to unite as one.
~ Sonia Dixon

Let us move evenly together,
Let us stand as one,
Let evil be cast from us.
Let no man cry for himself or listen to those
without faces.
Let us move evenly together,
Let us walk as tall trees,
Let fear be crushed within us,
Let no man speak for himself or give secrets
to those without blood.
My brother the star, my mother the earth,
my father the sun, my sister the moon,
To my life give beauty,
To my body give strength,
To my corn give goodness, to my house give peace.
To my spirit give truth, to my elders give wisdom.
Oh my gentle village fierce,
Oh my powerful people weak,
Oh my fertile fields so dry,
Oh my peaceful house disturbed,
We must pray for strength; we must pray to come
together; pray to the weeping earth, pray to the
trembling waters, and to the wandering rain.
We must pray to the whispering moon;
Pray to the tiptoeing stars and to the hollering sun.

~ Taos Indian Prayer

Almighty God, who are mother and father to us all,
Look upon your planet Earth divided;
Help us to know that we are all your children,
That all nations belong to one great family,
And all of our religions lead to you.
Multiply our prayers in every land
Until the whole Earth becomes your congregation,
United in your love.

Sustain our vision of a peaceful future
And give us strength to work unceasingly
To make that vision real.
Amen.
~ Helen Weaver

By routes diverse men may the mountain climb,
Each path presenting different views, sublime –
But when to the proud summit they do rise,
The self-same smiling moon doth greet all eyes.

~ Japanese bard