Life always gives us exactly the teacher we need at every moment.
This includes every mosquito, every misfortune, every red light, every traffic jam, every obnoxious supervisor (or employee), every illness, every loss, every moment of joy or depression, every addiction, every piece of garbage, every breath.
Every moment is the guru.
~
Charlotte Joko Beck
when we allow our mind to settle and our heart to open, all of life and every moment, and every little and big thing becomes our teacher. meditation practice helps us to allow such spaciousness to arise.
…and in the words of Yoda – “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
are you aware that “Fear not!” is the most repeated command/phrase in the Bible? and then there’s one of my favorite sections in 1 John where it is said (and i paraphrase) that God is love and that there is no fear in love.
when we live in fear, there is a tightening that occurs, a narrowing of thought and vision. possibility diminishes and life is oppressed. fear in a very real way, brings death.
the answer to fear is love and love in action is compassion. in Buddhism, we practice loving-kindness and compassion as a way to address our fear and the fears of others. a closed heart and mind can become reactive, paranoid, and aggressive. an open heart and spacious mind are expansive and generous, allowing for possibility and life. so, we practice with our heart and we practice with our mind.
it is incredible and inspiring how far things have come. when i was in high school there was not a single LGBTQ+ person out of the closet. we had no gay-straight alliances in school and no positive images in media.
i felt alone, save for the feeling that two of my drama classmates just might be going through the same thing. it wasn’t until college that i connected with a group of friends and the space to allow, to expose my authenticity.
things are quite different now, things are better, a lot better for many of us….but not all. it’s important to realize there are still people who don’t recognize our humanity, our right to exist and love.
and there are many, so many, too many young LGBTQ+ persons who live in an environment of fear, or within a home without love, who worship within a claustrophobic religion, or find they are in a workplace that is hostile. they feel alone and unsafe.
to these persons in our community, young and aged, i say:
although summer is fast approaching, i’ve titled this piece Spring Enso 2021. i’m sharing it today, June 1st, on my two year anniversary of taking Refuge Vows and receiving my Dharma name, Jinpa Lhaga (Tibetan for Generosity Divine Joy).
taking Refuge Vows in Buddhism is in many ways just the beginning, the start of a path and journey, a vow to take responsibility for and engage in one’s life. this reminds me of Spring, full of life, freshness, newness, and possibility, and of planting new seeds for more Springs to come.
always filled with gratitude for my Preceptor of my Refuge Vows, Susan Piver. a truly beneficial teacher to so many. she teaches with lived wisdom, warmth, and an open heart.
i am immensely grateful for this path and practice. may i be of benefit to others.
today is Memorial Day in the USA. for my fellow citizens and readers:
take time today, beyond the BBQs and gathering, to remember those who have sacrificed their lives in service. some joined with purpose and others forced through draft. all valuable, all precious, all sacrificed.
having BBQs is not bad, having social media posts is good, but let’s pressure our leaders to do the hard work of making such sacrifice less needed. we will likely always need those who are willing to sacrifice and we owe them our deep gratitude.
defending lives and freedom is necessary and can be motivated by a fierce compassion to end harm, but admittedly not all wars and conflict are this. we must ask ourselves why we are sending those willing to sacrifice into battle and are we truly honoring their willingness to sacrifice and serve.
we can best honor such sacrifice and the lives of those who serve by ending unnecessary war and conflict and making war and conflict overall less necessary.
we underestimate the power available to us. our use of energy, our words, our actions, our choices can bring much benefit or harm.
there’s a lot to say about love and a myriad of definitions. our view of love can be often quite superficial and narrow. love is far more spacious and expansive than i believe we often realize.
love is a long game, it is a marathon. love can be our compass and guide. love reflects our interdependence and is embodied with our compassion.
may we embody love, may we abide in love, may we let go into the flow of love.
today is Vesak, a Buddhist holiday commemorating the birth, enlightenment, and death of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. today, i decided to do some art to celebrate.
happy Vesak to all who observe!
may all beings be safe, healthy, happy and at ease! 🙏🏻
The Metta Garden 