A 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.

Silence

May God kindle in us the fire of love to bring us alive and give warmth to the world.

Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth;
lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust;
lead me from hate to love, from war to peace.
Let peace fill our heart, our world, our universe. Amen.

Thích Nhất Hạnh, Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet, and peace activist, wrote this litany for peace. It is found in A New Zealand Prayer Book He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa (page 163).