The following writing by the Vietnamese Buddhist teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, speaks elegantly to a spiritual understanding, which underlies Systems Thinking at its best.
The Five Awarenesses
Students of the Buddha are aware that life is one and that happiness is not an individual matter. By living and practicing awareness, we bring peace and joy to our lives and the lives of those related to us.
The First Awareness
We are aware that all generations of our ancestors and all future generations are present within us.
The Second Awareness
We are aware of the expectations that our ancestors, our children, and their children have of us.
The Third Awareness
We are aware that our joy, peace, freedom, and harmony are the joy, peace, freedom, and harmony of our ancestors, our children, and their children.
The Fourth Awareness
We are aware that understanding is the very foundation of love.
The Fifth Awareness
We are aware that blaming and arguing can never help us and only create a wider gap between us; that only understanding, trust, and love can help us change and grow.