Rami Shapiro - Sample Verses

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Ecclesiastes 3

10-11 The matter of suffering is clear to me:
it arises from ignorance of impermanence.
Everything functions in time;
everything flows, changes, transforms.
In your heart you sense eternity,
but your mind mistakes it for time without end.
Eternity is not endless time;
eternity is the ending of time.
Under the sun it is all flux and flow,
diverse and separate.
But under the sun is not the whole, and
there is deeper truth
embracing the many in a greater One.

12-13 I have understood all this.
And behold, there is nothing more pleasant for you
than to abandon the illusion of performance
and accept the flow of time.,
and do what you can with each.
When hungry – eat.
When thirsty – drink.
When injustice reigns – resist.
When suffering – feel compassion.
In this lies tranquility of body, heart, mind and soul.

Proverbs 18

1Do not fall prey to desire
for you will be disgraced among your peers.

2 The ignorant express a desire for wisdom
only when their ignorance is exposed.

3 Contempt travels with evil;
insult accompanies disgrace.

4 The mouth is like the source of a great river;
its words can irrigate or flood.

5 Returning evil with kindness is not good,
for how then will you honor kindness?

6 Foolish words attract contention;
foolish acts invite violence.

7 Foolish words bring disaster
and cause your soul to falter.

8 Whining is like a hammer;
its pounding shatters the heart.

9 If you are lax in your discipline,
you contribute to your own destruction.

10 Surrendering to God is the key to endurance;
this way you will finish the course.

11 Do not belittle wealth;
it can be a source of strength in time of trouble.

12 The arrogant teeter on the brink of destruction;
the humble stand at the threshold of honor.


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