Centering (5 minutes)

This is a time to make the transition from the busy world to the group experience. A member of the group may read these words from Unitarian Universalist minister Walter Royal Jones, Jr.:

Mindful of truth ever exceeding our knowledge
And community ever exceeding our practice,
Reverently we covenant together,
Beginning with ourselves as we are,
To share the strength of integrity
And the heritage of the spirit
In the unending quest for wisdom and love.

Check-in (10 to 25 minutes)

Each person in the group has the opportunity to share something about his or her life. What significant events have taken place recently in your life? Have you accomplished something meaningful to you? Have you experienced any losses or setbacks? Have you had any insights or new ideas?

Group Discussion (45 to 70 minutes)

Our spiritual theme for this month is Enlightenment. Sometimes we learn and grow by taking small steps. Gradually, over time, many small steps may bring about big changes in our perspective, our understanding, or our values. Occasionally, however, we learn and grow in more dramatic ways, taking big steps that change our perspective, our understanding, or our values more quickly. Either way, we may have insight or awareness that some religious traditions refer to as enlightenment.

For group discussion, please consider the questions associated with one or more of the following numbered sections. You need not address all of these sections, and you need not address them in this order.

1. In what ways has your personal spiritual growth been a gradual, deliberate process of gathering new insights and incorporating them into your everyday life? In what ways has your personal spiritual growth been marked by moments of sudden awakening that permanently changed your life, or flashes of intuitive insight that sent your life along an entirely new direction?

2. Unitarian Universalist minister Jesse Cavileer said, “There is no path to God that bypasses your neighbor.”

What is your opinion of spiritual paths that have much to say about personal fulfillment or individual salvation but have little to say about social responsibility or duty toward others?

3. The Japanese Buddhist poet Masahide wrote:

Since my house burned down

I now own a better view

Of the rising moon.

Sometimes growth in wisdom or perspective comes as a result of a challenging personal loss. Have you had difficult experiences that have resulted in growth or enlightenment?

As a Buddhist, in this poem Masahide was probably providing a poetic image of the rewards of setting aside one’s ego or one’s self-centeredness. Have you experienced greater peace of mind through more compassionate understanding of the situations of others?

4. Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote, “Religion sets high standards for us and urges us to grow morally in our efforts to meet those standards. Religion tells us, ‘You could have done better; you can do better.’ But listen closely to that message. Those are words of encouragement, not condemnation. They are a complement to our ability to grow, not a criticism of our tendency to make mistakes. We misunderstand the message of religion if we hear it as a message of criticism.”

Can high standards help generate spiritual growth or spiritual awakening? Or do high standards simply lead to failure and discouragement? How can one discern the difference between encouragement and condemnation?

Conclusion (5 to 10 minutes)

What will you take away from this discussion? What would have made this time together more meaningful or satisfying to you? What did you enjoy? A group member may share these words from Unitarian Universalist minister Frank Schulman:

I wish for the dull a little understanding, and for the understanding a little poetry. I wish a heart for the rich and a little bread for the poor. I wish some love for the lonely and some comfort for the grieved. I wish companionship for those who must spend their evenings alone. I wish contentment for the aged, who see the days slipping by too quickly, and I wish dreams for the young. I wish strength for the weak and courage for those who have lost their faith. And I wish we might all be a little kinder to each other.