A Universal offering of Well-Being

May everyone enjoy a sense of fulfillment.

May those we elect to provide leadership do so wisely.

May we always ensure the welfare of the animals who nourish our bodies 

and the wise who nourish our minds and hearts.

May everyone be content.

May the rains grace the Earth when her thirst needs to be quenched.

May the Earth yield abundantly and well of her produce.

May the planet’s inhabitants be free from famine.

May the contemplative among us have no reason to fear us.

May everyone be happy.

May everyone be free of illness.

May everyone enjoy prosperity.

May none suffer needlessly.

This Invocation for Universal Well-Being (Svasti prajabhyah)  

concludes with the well-known Sanskrit prayer that so clearly juxtaposes

the conflict of duality in which we live with the fullness of Oneness

that is our essential nature and points the way to a better understanding of reality:

~ ~ ~

May we distinguish the false from the real.

May the darkness of ignorance give way to the light of wisdom in us.

May we rid ourselves of the self-imposed limitations that prevent us from

realizing our ever-expanding potential as vehicles through which

the mortality of the many is understood as the immortality of the One.

The three Shantis chanted at the end of a Sanskrit invocation

are usually translated simply as

“Peace. Peace. Peace.”

However,

they are traditionally directed to the three sources from which obstacles are known to come.

Volcano fire

The first,

chanted loudly, is directed to the cosmos at large,

with its more violent distractions such as earthquakes, volcanoes, lightning, and thunder.

The second,

chanted in a normal voice, is meant for our immediate surroundings—

telephones, doorbells, people wanting something, and the like.

The third Shanti,

perhaps the most important one of all, is chanted to oneself

and addresses our own busy mind:

May we not be distracted from our course by calamities brought on by the cosmic forces,

nor by the disruptions that occur around us,

nor by the confusion and chaos of our own minds.

May everyone on this vast and beautiful planet know

the Well-Being, Peace, and Love that is our birthright.

~ ~ ~

“Peace. Peace. Peace.”

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The Start of 2020

Our business was doing great, but we still couldn’t afford to buy a house or a condo. Renting in Maui for another 30 years was not an option we wanted to take. Then, Bobbie Jo suggested we buy a sailboat that is comfortable to cruise and live in. By the end of January, we started looking for our new home.

After a long search, we found our dream boat in Mazatlan, Mexico. COVID-19 was not yet a concern when our boat hunt began, but masks were starting to appear at airports by the time we flew to Mazatlan. Originally, we had planned to get the boat ready as fast as possible to cover a full calendar for the busy wedding season. However, it was apparent our business was going to tank amid the pandemic, and the struggle went on until the end of the year.

Luckily, we scored an awesome condo for only $19 a day at Mazatlan. On the 10th day of our stay, we received the news that all harbors will be closed the next Monday morning. We thought we’d be stuck in Mexico longer, but another sailor advised us to leave before sunrise.

We felt the adrenalin of escaping the Mexican harbor master just before the sun rose that faithful day. The seas were rough as waves were building up in the tight channel that led us to the open ocean. We ended up anchored off an adorable little isle just a mile offshore. We enjoyed cruising to many spectacular anchorages and cute villages on our way to Puerto Vallarta, where we would depart for Maui on May 7. On May 30, 2020, we completed our 24-day passage from Mexico to Maui.