Touchstones a monthly journal of Unitarian Universalism July 2020 Harmony Wisdom Story “Islam is ...a practice, a way of life, a Making Beautiful Justice pattern for establishing harmony with Rev. Kirk Loadman-Copeland God and his creation.” Harmony with His father was a Harvard-trained pro- the divine is also a foundation of mysti- fessor of musicology and his mother, cism. who trained at the Paris Conservatory of Within our own tradition, our com- Music, was a classical violinist. But he mitment to social harmony is affirmed never cared for classical music, which in a number of our principles, including may explain why he began to play the “justice, equity, and compassion in hu- ukulele at the age of 13. He also learned Introduction to the Theme man relations” and “the goal of world to play the guitar. In 1936, when he was While there are efforts at harmony community with peace, liberty, and jus- seventeen, he fell in love with a five- among world religions, the emphasis on tice for all.” string banjo. He heard it at the Mountain harmony varies within the different Harmony with nature figured promi- Dance and Folk Festival in western North world religions. Social harmony figures nently among the Transcendentalists, Carolina near Asheville. Perhaps the prominently in Asian Religions like Tao- especially Thoreau. This emphasis on banjo chose him, since a person once said ism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Hindu- harmony is expressed in both our sev- that he actually looked like a banjo. He ism, and Sikhism, while harmony with enth principle, “respect for the interde- would later say, “I lost my heart to the nature is emphasized in Taoism, Neo- pendent web of all existence of which old-fashioned five-string banjo played pagan, and Native American traditions. we are a part,” and our sixth source, mountain style.” As the Buddha said, “Many do not adopted in 1995, which asks that we be At the time, the banjo was thought of know that we are here in this world to mindful of “spiritual teachings of earth- as a “white” instrument, the province of live in harmony.” The focus on harmony centered traditions which celebrate the poor Appalachian farmers, but the truth within Judaism, Christianity, and Islam sacred circle of life and instruct us to was that the banjo went back to the early is best understood as harmony with the live in harmony with the rhythms of days of slavery in America. The African- divine. Sachiko Mirata observes that, (Continued on page 6) influenced banjo had a body made out of Harmony & Building Beloved Community The Beloved Community is not an idyllic utopia, rather it is clear-eyed vision about what is possible in terms of human community as well as living “in harmo- ny with the rhythms of nature,” as our sixth source counsels. The degree of harmo- ny that exists is a basis for assessing the overall health of the Beloved Community. This does not mean that Beloved Community is conflict free. Rather, the Beloved Community is a place where we see each other, as M. Scott Peck wrote, with the soft eyes of respect instead of the hard eyes of judgement. Rev. Tom Owen-Towle writes that respect means, “to look at something or someone again and again.” He adds, “mature, hardy communities tangle for impact or resultant change rather than injury or retaliatory damage. They struggle openly in order to minimize the lying and cruelty that often contaminate our communal life.” Touchstones is committed to exploring liberal theology. This journal is supported by subscriptions from Unitarian Universalist congregations. For daily meditations, pho- tos, and more visit/like Touchstones at https://www.facebook.com/Touchpossibility/ (Continued on page 2) Building Beloved Community Surrounding Hate Kosmos Awake to Harmony (Continued from page 1) Wisdom Story A New Harmony The Great Song a gourd and a wooden stick for the neck. Philip J. Newell Jack Kornfield In the fall, this novice banjo player The word kosmos in ancient Greek Here around us always is the mystery. began attending Harvard, his father’s means “a harmony of parts.” In the This great song has joy and sorrow as its alma mater, but dropped out two years classical world, everything in the uni- warp and woof. Between the mountains later when he failed an exam. He decided verse was viewed as moving in relation and valleys of birth and death, we find to explore America with his banjo in to everything else. This ancient under- every voice and every possibility. Spir- hand. He began learning folk songs as he standing of the cosmos is being born itual practice …asks us to wake up, to traveled across the country hitchhiking afresh today in radically new ways. We face life directly. …Zen master Seung and hopping freight trains. By 1940, he are realizing that the whole of reality is Sahn, on visiting the site of the Buddha’s had traveled with his five-string banjo one. In nearly every dimension of life— enlightenment in India, wrote: through forty-eight states. That year in whether economic or religious, scien- Once a great man sat beneath the Bodhi tree. New York City he met Woody Guthrie at tific or political—there is a growing He saw the Eastern star, became enlightened. a concert hosted by the John Steinbeck awareness of earth’s essential interre- He absolutely believed his eyes, and he be- Committee to benefit farm workers. latedness. This new-ancient way of see- lieved his ears, his nose, his tongue, body, Guthrie became the young man’s most ing is radically challenging us to see and mind. The sky is blue, the earth is brown, important teacher. The lessons were not ourselves as connected with everything and so he was awakened to the truth and just about music, they were also about else that exists. And it means that any attained freedom beyond birth and death. social justice. true vision of reality must also be a cos- While he loved to sing, his vocal range mology, a way of relating the parts to was limited. C minor was too high for the whole, of seeing our distinct jour- him. His solution was to have a longer neys in relation to the one journey of neck installed on his banjo. The first one the universe. added two frets, later his custom banjos …[A]ncient harmony …is deep in the would have three additional frets. This matter of the universe, the essential made the songs he wrote fit his voice, and interwo- they in turn, made it easy for people to venness of sing along. You have probably sung some all things. of his songs. One came from lines in a Every- famous Soviet novel written by Mikhail thing, Sholokhov and published in the 1930s. whether The lines in English were “Where are the the ex- flowers? The girls have plucked them./ panding Buddhist practice offers us …the pos- Where are the girls? They’re all married./ light of sibility of awakening. In this we must Where are the men? They’re all in the distant listen to the whole song, as Siddhartha army.” Pete Seeger rephrased the lines galaxies or did. We will see how difficult this can be. and added two more: “Long time pass- humanity’s inner light of mind and …We will sense emptiness and loss in ing” and “When will we ever learn?” You consciousness, carries within itself the the lack of permanence of ourselves and know the song as Where Have All the Flow- life of the universe’s shared beginning. all things. For a time in practice, all crea- ers Gone? It is a wonderful example of the [Recognizing] the brokenness of our tion may appear to be a limited and pain- ways in which Pete Seeger made both harmony, whether as individuals and ful story.... But these perspectives are beautiful music and beautiful justice for families or as nations and species, … only the first part of our awakening. more than 50 our disharmony, is essential to finding The second part of the great story of years. the way forward. Confronting our bro- awakening is not about loss or pain but Its why in kenness, individually and together, is about finding the harmony of our own the 1960s he integral to the hope for healing. …[H] song within the great song. ...In awaken- hand-lettered ow …can [we] be part of a new harmo- ing to this harmony, we discover a treas- the following ny? What is the cost, both personal and ure hidden in each difficulty. …In the words on the collective, of releasing life’s essential process of change, there arises an abun- head of his ban- oneness in radically new and trans- dance of ... new possibilities, new expres- jo, “This Ma- formative ways? sions…. chine Sur- Source: A New Harmony: The Spirit, the Earth, Source: A Path with Heart, Jack Kornfield, Ban- rounds Hate and Forces It to Surrender.” and the Human Soul, Philip J. Newell, Jossey- Bass, 2011 tam Books, 1993 2 Source: Touchstones Readings from the Common Bowl Day 20: “The harmony that holds the stars on their courses and the flesh on our bones resonates through all creation.” Day 1: “You are only of music is played in our mind. In harmo- Morgan Llywelyn afraid if you are not ny, both create a beautiful symphony of Day 21: “Music, to create harmony, must in harmony with life.” Toba Beta investigate discord.” Plutarch yourself. People are Day 11: “How is it they live in such har- afraid because they have never owned up Day 22: “We planned for betrayal.