If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.

~

Meister Eckhart

grateful for all of you and this life!

😌❤️🙏🏻

#gratitude #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #Zen #Enso #Gassho #JMWartist

be balanced.

be engaged.

the world needs your voice.

suffering needs your healing heart.

#SitDownRiseUp

#TheLongArc

#PlantingSeeds

#EngagedBuddhist #Zen #JMWart

mark this day. The President’s stunning (but not surprising) embrace of money and the Saudi alliance over human rights (and the life of Jamal Khashoggi) undermines our foundational values, our credibility, erodes human rights work and progress around the world, endangers journalists and outspoken critics of dictators and autocratic governments, while propping up and giving a little nod and wink to those same dictators and autocratic governments that we won’t hold them accountable if the deal is good enough – both nation to nation deals and personal business deals. he continues to disregard or minimize the Intelligence Community’s investigative work, in this case, their assessment that the Crown Prince had knowledge and ordered the torture, killing and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi.

all this while it is revealed the President expressed interest to his former White House Counsel that he wanted to prosecute both a former competitor (Hillary Clinton) and a critic (James Comey), something he has in common with the Saudi Crown Prince.

should we be surprised that our current President undervalues or perhaps doesn’t value human rights? not while children are still detained, away from family, in chain link confinement and tent cities.

where is our moral compass?

we need to find it as a nation, now.

~j

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-president-donald-j-trump-standing-saudi-arabia/

Not coveting a single thing is the greatest gift you can give to the universe.

~ Kodo Sawaki Roshi

Nothing to grasp, nothing to hold onto. All freely given, all freely given away. May it all be an offering of generosity.

~j

#VaradaMudra #Buddha #offering #generosity #NothingToHoldOnto #AllGift

#OpenHandOpenHeart #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #EngagedBuddhist #Zen #JMWart

we go around and around. so much chatter, so much thinking, so busy trying to solve everything – and all at once!

just stop.

breath and listen.

wisdom is born out of silence.

~j

#listen #silence #wisdom #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #meditation #EngagedBuddhist #Zen #calligraphy #art #JMWart

2 killed in Kentucky

11 killed in Pittsburgh Synagogue

12 killed in Thousand Oaks

within less than a month.

no longer in the headlines or in public discussion. i am concerned we are growing exhausted, numb, normalized to this insanity.

we must not normalize this.

we have to have a national discussion on fear, on aggression, on violence, on hate, on mental health, on this country’s unhealthy love of guns.

hold representatives/policy makers accountable.

#EndGunViolenceNow #CommonSense #GunReform #Now #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #ShiningLight #SitDownRiseUp #EngagedBuddhist #JMWart

RIP Stan Lee.

when i stop and contemplate the breadth of his contribution and accomplishment it is staggering. from the most truly devoted comic book or super hero fans to the individual that simply sees a movie here or there, or even doesn’t – there probably isn’t a person who isn’t aware of some of his super hero creations. at times, over the top and fun and at other times deep commentary on societal and cultural issues, comics have been and arguable still are an incredible medium and perhaps most greatly due to this man.

#gratitude #RIPStanLee 🙏🏻

i sit

so that

i may stand

i breathe in

with love

allowing

all that i feel

all that is around me

into my heart

i breathe out

with love

allowing all that i hold

all that i carry

to sink

into the earth

in her generosity

i am emptied

in her generosity

i am free

to rise up

to love

i touch the earth

she bears witness

to love

to life

to all.

~j

#meditation #OpenHeart #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #SitDownRiseUp #EngagedBuddhist #Zen #JMWpoetry #JMWphotography #BWphotography #photography

reflections from yesterday’s midterm elections…

so much to be thankful for with then flip of the House. so many women elected to office! women of color, Indigenous, and Muslim. evidence of opening minds and hearts, and an electorate moving in a progressive direction. this is good. and all while being up against tactics of voter suppression and fear mongering.

however, I am so disappointed with the 50th district. the idea that Republican strong hold and racist, Islamophobic fear tactics has worked is deeply disheartening. that voters in the 50th district would choose a man who has not only not served them well, but has been indicted by a Grand Jury for over 60 counts of criminal conduct, is baffling. Ammar is an incredible candidate and will be an incredible public servant when elected some day.

there is a continued wave of fear, racism, and misogyny that have appeared victorious in some parts of the country with some candidates. such a blight on this country.

the good news is medicare should be safe, social security should be safe, ACA covering pre-existing conditions should be safe, Mueller’s investigation should be safe. it can’t be understated how important these are and how much of a victory these elections results are regarding these issues.

that being said, the President has come out fighting, Mitch McConnell has come out fighting, and there is still a compromised GOP becoming more Trumpian than conservative. i think we still have rough times ahead. the next two years are going to be tough.

much work to still be done in protecting what is right and good, in opening minds and hearts. we must remain focused and ever vigilant, persistent in our work for truth and justice, in combatting racism, misogyny, hate, aggression and violence both in word and action.

let’s begin by remembering to breathe, to make self care a priority, keeping our hearts open and our minds focused.

grateful to call friends the many people who work tirelessly for what is compassionate and kind, for what is true and just, love and light.

sunset or sunrise? we decide.

onward.

~j

#SitDownRiseUp #PlantingSeeds #TheLongArc #EngagedBuddhist #Breathe #Zen #JMWart #JMWphotography

there is a vast ocean of possibilities for our country, for humanity, for the world, both here in the present and for the future which is made of seeds planted here in the present.

we don’t have to be a people of fear, of false security, of anger and aggression, of bigotry and hate.

we can be a people of open-heartedness, of empathy, of compassion, and kindness.

SO PLEASE #VOTE

👍🏻✊🏻🙏🏻

#TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #empathy #OpenHeart #compassion #EngagedBuddhist #Zen #Enso #JMWart