The Brown Book Commentaries

―My Work is to carry Love everywhere you‘ve walked.‖ ~ Rumi
We can pack Love for our Journey only after we exude it to those already around us.
“Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your Hearing.” ~ Luke (Luke 4:21)
This verse specifically refers to sections of the book of Isaiah (61:1, 58:6 & 61:2); sections
quoted by Jesus in the synagogue to announce a deeper Truth: namely, that those who would
choose to emulate (―Hear‖) his Way of Love, would find the Peace of true freedom.
18 Universal Truths …
… Morality is always in harmony with Harmony.
Every action that is Right brings forth the peace of Oneness. Simply stated: If
you are causing others harm, change course.
… Attention is only complete in the present moment.
The past is fabricated from erroneous memory, and the future woven from fickle
fear. Only the present moment is ripe to be accurately appreciated … (In other
words, cease your nostalgic daydreaming and release your pointless planning)
… Positivity is attending to the Spirit.
And ―positivity‖ here refers to the ability to replace condemnation with
acceptance, to replace inaction with action, to replace greed with generosity, to
replace envy with gratitude, to replace apathy with compassion, to replace
deception with honesty, to replace pride with humility, to replace boredom with
wonderment, and to replace doubt with faith. Essentially, it means to be your best
when your life is the worst. It means to replace cowardice with courage by being
Kind when least inclined. This is what it means to ―attend to your Spirit‖.
… Grounding rests in Action.
The phrase ―grounding rest in action‖ is a multi-layered pun, the meanings of
which all orbit about a central Truth: namely, that to be truly representative of your
actual Self, you must be somehow in motion – specifically, engaged in some deed
designed to benefit another. True, some have honed their mental abilities to the point
where their thoughts have become ―things‖; their meditations have become tangible
forces – and yet for most of us, to blossom into True Self requires that we actively do
something for someone else.
28