Joining Hearts
with Our Brother Wayne Teasdale

A tribute by his friend and fellow monk Brother David Steindl-Rast, OSB

Those who have gone before us have left this plane of existence, yet they remain accessible to us; we can link hearts with them.  Let us honor the memory of Brother Wayne by meditating on some of his passionate concerns – expressed here in his own words – and by committing ourselves to walk our own path with passion and compassion.

May we always remember that our inner life must spark the change in consciousness that will permit humanity to advance.

May we strive for a holistic, integral kind of development that isn't simply intellectual or moral but that is also deeply mystical.

May we achieve the kind of development that engages us with the Source itself, the Source that is…pure love, pure concern, pure sensitivity, and which then allows that to radiate out into our actions and our attitudes and our perceptions and how we relate to one another in the world.

May our spirituality bring about a self-knowledge that will allow us to purify ourselves and to shift to a focus that protects the interconnectedness of all life and all beings.

May we rise to our universal responsibility to speak out when we see injustice, oppression, and the abuse of human rights, the rights of the earth, and other species.

May we abhor the silence that indicates a lack of courage and moral strength and hides behind considerations of prudence and discretion.

May we stay away from doctrinal truth claims. If we can evolve beyond that problem, then there's some chance that we could retire the whole institution of war and begin to focus on the peaceful evolution of humanity.

May we learn the kind of awareness which one can't get simply through a political process or an ideology or a slogan. It's something that has to engage what is deepest in the human.

May we never define the human in the abstract, and end up killing the human in the concrete.

May we realize that before kingdoms change, the hearts of people must change. The revolutionaries have not seen that; they've focused on the external.

May we strive for the real revolution, the definitive revolution,…the spiritual awakening of humanity. The real revolution is one that goes to the radical core of human transformation. Unless that happens, the seeds of corruption are still going to be there—and the seeds of inequity, of exploitation, and of a selfish, greedy existence that neglects the welfare of the masses and of the planet.

May we have the courage and determination to really simplify how we are living and using resources. May we be aware of how much damage we're doing. May we be ready to make the sacrifices necessary for us and for other species, other sentient beings, to survive.

May we strive to replace the old habits of mutual isolation, hostility, competition, conflict, and ignorance of one another's traditions with habits of mutual trust, mutual respect, and friendship.

May we utilize those forms of spirituality that transform attitudes, that open minds and hearts, and that change consciousness.

May we become more and more aware of the Source as "inherently warmhearted."  May we trust that the vast consciousness – the Divine – is not a cold analytical intelligence – it emanates from its very core as concern.

For a celebration of Brother Wayne's life through photos, remembrances, and more, please see this tribute site.