Liberation is not something you have to create; liberation is inside you.

~ Tai Situ Rinpoche

stay open, stay free.

#WakeUp #JustThis #ThisMoment #StayOpenStayFree #PlantingSeeds #TheLongArc #Zen #enso #calligraphy #JMWa

don’t get ahead of yourself. you, too, are a refugee. on this land, on this earth. only here for a short time…hopefully to do some good and learn a little about loving better and more.

don’t turn your back on your spiritual practice (if your have one). every major religion teaches to welcome the stranger and take care of your neighbor. if you practice a religion, what are you doing in your life to live this? where are the strangers, who are your neighbors?

don’t turn your back on humanity, on life. we all share this space, we bleed, we hurt, we want happiness and love.

don’t just think of short term, think of the long arc. your life will end, sooner than you hope, but hopefully not for a while yet so you can continue to grow in your love. think about your children, your children’s children and all the generations ahead. place yourself in the shoes of other people. you’re the one who is fleeing danger and harm with your children and family in tow. what would you do? you’re the one deciding between your meals for a week and the medicine you need to stay healthy or alive. what would you do, what do you need? you’re the one who has lost your job, who didn’t see life turning in such a way, the world moving forward as it has. what do you need, what do you wish for? you’re the one who survived a worship service or day at school or concert, while many around you lost their life in a horrific few minutes of machine noise and screams. what do you do, what do your fight for? you’re the one sending your child out into the world afraid and worries for them simply because their skin color is darker. what do you do with that? how do you prepare them for that? how do you protect them from that?

empathy. that is what is missing.

we cannot wait to see it from the highest offices, or from some heroes swooping in to rescue us.

we must pull it from the depths of our own hearts and call others to account – especially those in higher office.

what seeds have we planted?

actions matter, words matter. we are responsible for what we offer and the part it plays in the consequences that follow.

live simply, talk honestly, with an open heart, and an intention to bring benefit rather than harm and suffering in all of your ways.

this is what i was thinking about as i filled out my ballot. i hope you consider the same. you have a voice, you have a vote, you have a responsibility to yourself and others to use this right to create this country. don’t leave it in the hands of others without doing your part.

what country do you want?

~j

#VOTE #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #compassion #kindness #N

we got together as a family last night and filled out our ballots.

earlier today they were delivered and sent out from the post office.

may sanity, compassion, and the best of humanity prevail on November 6th 👍🏻✊🏻🙏🏻

#VOTE ☑️

#TheLongArc

The events unfolding this past week, culminating in the horrific tragedy at Tree Of Life Synagogue have been so dark.

What to do with this energy?

As a Buddhist, I meditate and pray.

As an artist, I create art.

As both, I try to take action and serve, to offer healing.

In meditation, this image came to me – the Star of David, the candle, the word shalom.

I offer it to you.

And I ask that you join me in donating to HIAS to contribute to their good work and to what is light and good in this world.

May all be free from suffering.

~j

#Shalom #TreeOfLifeSynagogue #Peace #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #SitDownRiseUp #EngagedBuddhist #Calligraphy #Zen #JMWart #HIAS

yesterday was the 132nd birthday of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. Lady Liberty’s torch still burns bright, even as those in power who embrace fear and exclusion try as they might to extinguish her light. they fail to see that she stands proudly for hope and hope cannot be extinguished. it lives in the hearts of the oppressed and those who know better, who love, who align with life.

in honor of her and the hope she symbolizes, i’m reposting a piece of my art and the timeless Emma Lazarus poem.

~j

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. “Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

~

Emma Lazarus

#StatueOfLiberty #LadyLiberty #Hope #Light #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #FamiliesBelongTogether #NoBansNoWalls #MindfulResistance #SitDownRiseUp #JMWa

many have faced dark times, many have faced times darker.

we draw upon the spirit of their strength and the strength within our own hearts to bring light, truth, and love to such times as this.

may we heed the call and serve with open hearts, steady resolve, and focused minds finding our grounding, our balance in the underlying goodness that is always present, planting seeds for the long arc.

may all be free from suffering.

~j

#VOTE #PlantingSeeds #TheLongArc #OpenHearts #Bodhisattvas #EngagedBuddhist #TheTalmud #JMWar

“The truth about aggression…If you’re aggressive in your dealings, that’s how you’ll be regarded in the world. You might smile and give generously, but if you frequently explode in anger, people never feel comfortable in your presence and you’ll never have peace of mind.”

~ Pema Chödrön

anger may give the impulse, but it burns fast and hot, affecting every cell in your body – weakening, aging.

rather ~ be inspired by Love, motivated by Compassion and Engaged with Community.

~ j

#aggression #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #love #compassion #EngagedBuddhist #JMWart

when the world is burning, from the ashes, we rise! rise bodhisattvas RISE!

#Rise #RiseUp #SitDownRiseUp #Bodhisattvas #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #EngagedBuddhist #Zen #Buddhism #calligraphy #enso #JMWart

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.

~ Desmond Tutu

#SitDownRiseUp #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #EngagedBuddhist #MindfulResistance #Buddhism #Zen #calligraphy #enso #JMWart

I #BelieveSurvivors.

thank you for your courage. whether it is coming forward or simply attending each day, seeing the beauty that does exist in life, or still willing to seek out such beauty. thank you for shining a light through the darkness of abuse of power whether it be through dominance and oppression, bullying, or sexual aggression and violence, in its many forms both obvious and subtle.

I hear you, I stand with you.

~j

09.24.18

#TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #light #shine #JMWphotograp