to my LGBTQ+ family –

please hear me – we are sacred incarnation, love embodied, luminous as the vast blue sky and the stars that shine at night. shine we will, even as some in power work to pull the shade of night over our existence. we will say “gay”, we will fully embody our queerness in all of its beautiful diversity. to do so honors life, honors love.

our existence is teaching the world to love past its comfort, ignorance, fear. it’s not an easy burden to bear, opening hearts, but we are on the side of love and light. live your life with the fullness you deserve, as we do the work of calling out and dismantling the harm intended for and enacted against us.

to my non-LGBTQ+ friends and family – 

answer the call of love and be an ally, not a contributor to harm. honor your embodiment of life and love, by honoring the same in others. do not grieve your own soul by supporting harmful and destructive laws/policies or the public officials who write and enact them. this is the moment to live love with action. rise to this occasion. contribute to healing rather than harm. open and listen to your heart. allow prejudices and indoctrination to fall away with grace and dignity.

over 30 states are currently pushing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. these actions will directly impact the lives of gay and trans people. most prominent in the news is Florida with its “Don’t Say Gay” legislation and Texas with its anti-trans executive orders. 

according to the Trevor Project, 40% of LGBTQ+ youth have contemplated suicide. i was one of them. even though i have a loving immediate family, i was living in secret, shame, and self-hate. this is what i thought i deserved, because this is what society was saying i deserved, even if only doing so passively. this is the harm of such prejudice towards LGBTQ+. there are real consequences, there is real suffering.

progress hard won, is now threatened. love continues the work.

live in love.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏻

#LGBTQIA #queer #gay #LGBTQIArights #GayRights #TransRights #love #diversity #beauty #OpenHeart #path #practice #EngagedBuddhist #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #art #Buddha #pride

the practice of befriending this world, of relating to others and to this world in a tender, open-hearted way, must include ourselves. we begin where we are in this moment.

we practice openness, by being open. we practice patience, by being patient. we practice tenderness, by being tender, we practice peace, by being peace. we practice love, by being love. our practice is embodiment.

for meditators, we prioritize this by having a consistent practice of sitting meditation – even 10 or 20 minutes. whatever the case may be, we set aside a bit of time to just sit, to just breathe, and allow spaciousness to arise without our usual grasping or pushing away, without our usual patterns of reaction, or storytelling. it is a practice we can return to over and over.

when we practice this way, we are practicing not just meditation, but how to live in this world in a beneficial way, how to live as sane, open-hearted human beings moment by moment.

join me this weekend for Self-Care Saturday or Sunday at 10am PT.  sessions are free or by pay-what-you-can donation. $10 suggested. link: https://linktr.ee/jaysenwaller 🧘🏼‍♂️

~j

⭕️❤️🙏🏻

if you’d like to or are able to support my teaching offerings, you can do so by one time donation via PayPal or Venmo, or through regular giving on Patreon. all generosity is greatly appreciated.  links: https://linktr.ee/jaysenwaller ✨

#practice #path #meditation #mindfulness #awareness #lovingkindness #OpenHeart #JinpaLhaga

join me this weekend for some breath practices, mindfulness awareness, and lovingkindness meditation 🧘🏼‍♂️

Saturday and/or Sunday at 10am PT 💫

sessions are free or pay-what-you-can donation. $10 suggested ✨

links: https://linktr.ee/jaysenwaller 👍🏻

~j

⭕️❤️🙏🏻

#JustBreathe #JustSit #SelfCare #meditation #mindfulness #awareness #lovingkindness #metta #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

it’s #InternationalWomensDay & i’m offering bows of gratitude  for & celebration of all the incredible women in my life! 💫

today especially i celebrate these phenomenal Buddhist teachers who have had indelible impact on my path & practice as a Buddhist & meditation practitioner, either directly through their teaching, or through their books, talks & social media – with gratitude i celebrate you Susan Piver, Roshi Joan Halifax, Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, Pema Chödrön, Sharon Salzberg, & Robina Courtin. 

~j

⭕️❤️🙏🏻

#woman #women #bodhisattvas #meditation #Buddhism #teachers #gratitude #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #photography

this image is inspired from a quick ink drawing i did for Inktober a few years ago. i recreated digitally, to add color and place on products.

i’ve been wrestling with how Love can be a/the short-term solution to our problem of war and violence (and how do we deal with authoritarianism, dictators, and madmen??), while also deeply believing that Love is the long-term answer. there are perhaps no easy or quick answers when dealing with the poisons of ignorance, attachment, and aggression, and the fear, greed, and destruction they birth. so much suffering.

however, this image reminds me that it is the goal and that big hearts have the ability in the long run of making big weapons obsolete. maybe one day. this image also reminds me that the change needed, begins within me. that is where i first have the ability to practice sanity and open-heartedness, to embody love, not being indifferent to suffering or being sedentary. these all begin within my own heart and how i relate to the world.

may each of us be a seed of transformation, a light illuminating darkness, a fierce compassionate force, and a healing balm for the harm and suffering in our world.

~j

⭕️❤️🙏🏻

this image is available on various prints and products at my Redbubble store – link: jmwart.redbubble.com

a high quality digital print download was gifted to all my Patreon subscribers for free! become a Patreon supporter today and receive this image and others. support levels begin at $3/month. see link: http://www.patreon.com/jaysenwaller

#war #harm #suffering #love #heart #healing #transformation #path #practice #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #art #DigitalArt #illustration #artist

my heart grieves the war in Ukraine. like so many, i don’t have the answers for how this should be handled or what the endgame may be. it feels ominous & dark. i grieve the loss of life & harm, the destruction, the millions of refugees added to the already 84 million refugees worldwide from other catastrophes & wars not getting the same attention.

i feel like the world is failing the Ukrainians, as the world has failed & is failing so many other people. yes, much is being done & there has been extraordinary unity. yet here we are watching what may be the decimation of a country at the hands of a madman who doesn’t care about the cost.

what to do? engage directly & chance World War III, nuclear war? the world is being bullied by a madman dangling these threats & Ukrainians are left feeling abandoned. it feels like failure, a loss for the world. it very well may be. an energy of authoritarianism is on the rise. authoritarianism must lose in Ukraine, in the US & around the world. existence may be on a precipice. there’s such great need for creative problem solving, resilience, sanity & yes – love.

so what to do? i’m leaning in on meditation, opening my heart, sharing these practices w/ others, creating & sharing art. looking to the helpers as Mr. Rogers would say, the courageous & resilient Ukrainians, Russian soldiers abandoning their posts, Russian citizens bravely protesting under oppression & danger, people around the world saying, “NO, this isn’t acceptable.” asking myself what it looks like to be a helper in this situation.

i’m thinking of the three poisons – ignorance, attachment & aggression. how these are the root cause of the suffering we see. how to end them? i begin w/ myself. my mind & heart. may i have a mind of sanity & balance, an heart open & brave that gives rise to fierce compassion, love embodied, in action, not indifferent or sedentary.

there’s still love, light, beauty & joy. may this be our path, may the destruction & harm end, may sanity arise, may hearts open, may transformation & healing of suffering be our journey’s end.

~j

#Ukraine #Russia #war #harm #suffering #OpenHeart #meditation #love #JinpaLhaga

the qualities we practice in meditation – qualities of mindfulness, of awareness, of lovingkindness – are qualities we can bring to our entire life, not just when we sit on our cushions.

in this way, it isn’t just a practice, it is also a path. it is how we approach and relate to our lives. 💫

~j

⭕️❤️🙏🏻

join me this weekend on Saturday or Sunday at 9am for Self-Care Saturdays & Sundays. 

free / pay-what-you-can / suggested donation: $10

link: https://linktr.ee/jaysenwaller

of you’d like to support my teaching and art, consider my Patreon. support levels start at $3/month – link: http://www.patreon.com/jaysenwaller

#meditation #mindfulness #awareness #lovingkindness #metta #EngagedBuddhism #practice #path #JinpaLhaga

Losar Tashi Delek!

this is the beautiful card the International Campaign for Tibet sent out to supporters (2nd pic is the one i received). i love the artwork!

this Tibetan New Year marks the Year of the Water Tiger, a year of courage and power, a time for transformation and a renewal.
🌊🐅

i have immense gratitude for Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism which has greatly influenced my Buddhist journey and practice with its emphasis on embodiment, along with the influence Zen has had on me. both my teacher trainings were in Tibetan Buddhist lineages, with one certification being from Tibet House US. my Refuge Vows were within Tibetan Buddhist lineage as well, my Dharma name being Jinpa Lhaga (Tibetan for Generosity Divine Joy).✨

may this new year be a blessed one for Tibet, the Tibetan people, and all people around the world. may our courage and strength be renewed, may we find resilience from our practices and our communities and open our hearts to transformation and healing.💫

~j
⭕️❤️🙏🏻

#Losar #TibetanNewYear #YearOfTheWaterTiger #LosarTashiDelek #Tibet #Tibetan #TibetanBuddhism #path #practice #JinpaLhaga

Posted @withregram • @savetibetorg Losar Tashi Delek!

From your friends at ICT, Happy Tibetan New Year!

We join in wishing you and all sentient beings calming peace, good health and lasting joy throughout the year of the Water Tiger.

a meditation practice can be a refuge we return to each day, and throughout the day, even for a minute. a practice that becomes a path for how we relate to ourselves, others, and the world.
what a gift! 💫🧘🏼‍♂️

join me this weekend on Saturday or Sunday at 9am for Self-Care Saturdays & Sundays.
free / pay-what-you-can / suggested donation: $10
link: https://linktr.ee/jaysenwaller

~j
⭕️❤️🙏🏻

if you’d like to support my teaching and art, consider my Patreon. support levels start at $3/month – link: http://www.patreon.com/jaysenwaller

#meditation #mindfulness #awareness #lovingkindness #metta #EngagedBuddhism #practice #path #JinpaLhaga

when we slow down, when we settle, when we become quiet and listen, we allow space for life to speak to us, or rather for our awareness to open to what life is saying.

in every case, it is love. we are being asked to love. once we awaken to this, there is only one question and that is how to love best, how to love in a way that brings most benefit, that ends harm, and that heals wounds.

~j

⭕️❤️🙏🏻

#SlowDown #settle #GetQuiet #listen #allow #healing #benefit #love #meditation #awareness #haiku #JinpaLhaga #JMWart