Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta

Litany for Peace

Let us be at peace within ourselves.
Silence

Let us accept that we are profoundly loved
and need never be afraid.
Silence

Let us be aware of the source of being
that is common to us all
and to all living creatures.
Silence

Let us be filled with the presence of the great compassion
towards ourselves and towards all living beings.
Silence

Realising that we are all nourished
from the same source of life,
may we so live that others be not deprived
of air, food, water, shelter, or the chance to live.
Silence

Let us pray that we ourselves cease to be
a cause of suffering to one another.
Silence

With humility let us pray for the establishment
of peace in our hearts and on earth.

Author of this prayer, Thích Nhất Hạnh, Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet, and peace activist, living in the Plum Village Monastery in the Dordogne region in the South of France, last week experienced a severe brain haemorrhage and was brought to hospital where he remains in critical but stable condition.