Repairing Bomb Damaged Housing Post WWII Britain
Imperial War Museum, 1945
My dear friends,
As we enter this season of reflection and repentance, Isaiah calls us to look beyond empty rituals and into the heart of compassion and justice. The Bodhisattva, one who walks the path of wisdom and boundless compassion, does not seek merit for oneself alone but dedicates all acts of virtue to the alleviation of suffering for all beings. In this light, let us examine Isaiah’s call to true fasting.
Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Announce to my people their rebellion,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
Yet day after day they seek me
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness
and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments;
they want God on their side.
- Isaiah 58:1-2
Isaiah speaks to those who claim devotion but fail to embody it in action. The Bodhisattva, like a true disciple, does not cling to external forms but seeks to awaken all beings to wisdom and compassionate action. True righteousness is not about seeking divine favor but about embodying the path of liberation for all.
Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?"
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day and oppress all your workers.
You fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist.
Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.
- Isaiah 58:3-4
Fasting, when done with self-centered motives, leads only to pride and conflict. The Bodhisattva renounces self-interest and embraces the suffering of others, transforming it into an opportunity for boundless giving. True fasting is the relinquishment of ego and the cultivation of love and justice.
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?
- Isaiah 58:5
To bow in humility without transforming the heart is an illusion. The Bodhisattva path calls for an inner purification where compassion flows outward, not as mere sentiment but as action that uplifts the downtrodden.
to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
- Isaiah 58:56-7
This is the fast of the Bodhisattva: not withdrawal, but engagement; not silence, but action. Breaking the yoke of suffering, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked—these are the paramitas, the perfections of generosity, morality, and compassion, lived out in the world.
your vindicator shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, "Here I am."
- Isaiah 58:8-9a
When compassion is lived, light arises. The Bodhisattva walks the path of enlightenment not for personal reward but for the liberation of all. In selfless service, the radiance of truth shines forth.
you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.
- Isaiah 58:12
This is the task of the Bodhisattva: to rebuild, restore, and repair. Not to seek escape, but to dwell among the suffering and be a beacon of hope. To be a repairer of the breach is to mend not just cities but hearts.
May we take this season not as a burden but as an opportunity—a call to embody compassion, to heal wounds, and to uplift those in need. This is the true fast, the true path, the true light.