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CONFRATERNITY MEDITATION FOR OCTOBER 20

“Believe in your own ideal first if you wish others to believe in it; unless you respect your ideal yourself, others will not respect it.” 
Gayan of Hazrat Inayat Khan

Annotation by Cherag Hamid Touchon

It is one thing to talk about ideals and another thing to be a living example of an ideal. While it is a lot of work at the beginning to embody one’s ideals, once you do, whatever you say regarding them won’t require much thought. You become like a potter discussing pottery; whatever he says about it he learned with his hands covered with clay up to his elbows.

"Even if he is fond of quoting appropriate texts, the thoughtless man who does not put them into practice himself is like cowherd counting other people's cows, not a partner in the Holy Life. 19  
Even if he does not quote appropriate texts much, if he follows the principles of the Teaching by getting rid of greed, hatred and delusion, deep of insight and with a mind free from attachment, not clinging to anything in this world or the next - that man is a partner in the Holy Life." 20 
The Buddhist Tradition – The Dhammapada – The Pairs -  Trans. John Richards

26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.
28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. 
The Christian Tradition - The New Testament - Matthew 23

A Fikr Practice (silent breath meditation)

However many breathes seem appropriate

On the out breath 
"OPEN OUR HEARTS THAT WE MAY HEAR THY VOICE"

On the in breath: 
"WHICH CONSTANTLY COMETH FROM WITHIN "