I look back on my life with gratitude for having lived at the same time as some of the great and courageous men and women of history. One of these individuals was the Civil Rights and Anti-war activist and Nobel Laureate, Dr. Martin Luther King.

Dr. King was a guiding force in the lives of many young women and men in the 1960's. His commitment to the civil rights of those who were denied them, the principles of non-violence even in the face of violence toward those who stood against violence,

his work for the protection of human dignity of all, and his courage to speak truth to power, as Gandhi did, primed our actions and views and influenced many to join with each other in working toward a more sane, braver, wiser, and kinder world.

I believe it was he, more than any other person in my youth, who brought me to a sense of how important it was to live a principled life, and a life of committed engagement to social and spiritual transformation.

When Dr. King said: “All I'm saying is simply this, that all life is interrelated, that somehow we're caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.

For some strange reason, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be," we listened and felt the truth of his realization. We endeavored to act from this vision, share in it, and respond to it.

We felt that Dr. King's insight regarding interdependence was profoundly congruent with our lived experience, and as well with the tenets of the Buddhism many of us were drawn to at this time.

His words guided many of us, including me, into a life of service, social engagement, and contemplative practice. Our lives opened through the door of Dr. King’s vision and action.

I believe that this is also true for many today. Dr. King had a dream. We are still endeavoring, day by day, to make it real, to bring it home.