My favorite prayer (by Tecumseh)

[chrismw]

So live your life that the fear of death

Can never enter your heart.?

Trouble no one about their religion;

Respect others in their view,

and?Demand that they respect yours.

Love your life, perfect your life,?Beautify all things in your life.

Seek to make your life long and?Its purpose in the service of your people.

Prepare a noble death song

For the day when you go over the great divide.?Always give a word or a sign of salute

When meeting or passing a friend,?Even a stranger, when in a lonely place.

Show respect to all people

and?Bow to none.

When you arise in the morning,

Give thanks for the food and

Or the joy of living.

If you see no reason for giving thanks,

?The fault lies only in yourself.

Abuse no one and nothing,?

For abuse turns the wise ones to fools

And robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die,

Be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death,

so that when their time comes?

They weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again?In a different way.

Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.

Tecumseh

[grayland]

Mine also. I read it daily.

[chrismw]

It gets me though a lot of rough days.

[Court]

I have never read this before. But I will certainly be reading it again.

[esrob]

Thank you for a truly inspiring prayer. That and the great commandment to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and all your mind, and love your neighbour as yourself." is all we need .

[PatV]

As a BUddhist, I find this prayer very apt. Thank you!

[chrismw in reply to PatV]

It's very secular. I think of religion(s) and spirituality as being distinct. You may also like Rumi, one of the great mystics.

[srarndt]

Very nice!!! Thanks for sharing!

Steve (Bisbee, AZ)