our uniqueness, our quirks, curves, and colors – the whole landscape of our embodiment in this life is a gift to the world. our temporary lives being the unique particular beauty that impacts the world. part of our presence that when aligned with love becomes extraordinary power, luminous and good.
love yourself well, every part of you with gentleness and care, as an offering of gratitude for the opportunity of this life.
We pay attention with respect and interest, not in order to manipulate, but to understand what is true. And seeing what is true, the heart becomes free.
~
Shunryu Suzuki Roshi
bearing witness to this passing life with an open heart and steady mind.
in many ways we collectively create the world we see, not the least of which is through the lens of fear, grievance, resentments, bitterness, anger, and violence – we go to figurative war with ourselves and others and end up in literal war.
if we want war, there will always be a reason for it, always a justification – usually rationalized as self-defense – whether it be in our close relationships or relationships with the world and life at large.
likewise if we truly want peace, then we’ll do the work necessary for peace. if we can create the world we see, this also means we can recreate the world we see. what enormous power, what a profound gift, what a sacred responsibility!
our collective change begins with individual change within our own hearts and minds. this is something we can engage directly, right in this moment. this is where and what we can work with. we can make it a vow, we can make it a practice to live peace. we can choose to align with love rather than hate.
love leaves no one out, compassion leaves no one out.
questions we can ask:
how are we viewing the world? how are we viewing each other?
what are we harboring in our hearts?
are we viewing the world and each other through a lens of hate or through a lens of love?
are we harboring hate or love?
let’s choose love, let’s vow to embody love, let’s practice love as our path, as our life’s work. and then collectively we’ll recreate this world as a world of peace.
may we remember and honor the six million Jews (two-thirds of the Jewish population in Europe at the time) along with the millions of others (LGBTQ+, the Roma/Gypsies, Disabled, Jehovah’s Witnesses, along w/ political opposition) who were also targeted. so much suffering during an immensely dark chapter of human history.
did we learn?
we say “Never Again”, but we’ve continued see a rise in anti-Semitism and we’ve continued to allow or excuse genocide, ethnic cleansing, and forced migration across this earth since the Holocaust, to this day.
may we open our eyes and ears, may we have awareness of our interdependence and interconnection, may clarity and wisdom arise, may we see through bias, and fully embrace the message of “Never Again” both for Jews and for all peoples across this planet, no matter their background, culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or geographic location.
how can we, as individuals, counteract the onslaught of false speech from powers, governments, organizations, companies, and individuals?
Buddhism has guidance within its Fourth Precept.
traditionally the Fourth Precept is stated as “I undertake the training rule to abstain from false speech.“ the Precept can be understood as not causing or participating in deceit and false speech. why? because it causes harm.
Thich Nhat Hanh imbuing the Fourth Precept with nuance and further awareness, and retitling it The Fourth Mindfulness Training: Deep Listening and Loving Speech writes, “ Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve others of their suffering. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am determined to speak truthfully, with words that inspire self-confidence, joy, and hope. I will not spread news that I do not know to be certain and will not criticize or condemn things of which I am not sure. I will refrain from uttering words that can cause division or discord, or that can cause the family or the community to break. I am determined to make all efforts to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.”
as a practice, we can follow the 5 guidelines for Right Speech: Is our speech timely, true, gentle, beneficial, and spoken with a mind of good-will?
may we all practice being truth tellers and revolutionaries of speech in a time of deceit.
may the way we live our lives be one of gentleness. in words and actions, may we embody the warmth of lovingkindness. even so, may we not shy away from calling out harm and being a force for healing in our world, reminding all who have forgotten, who they really are.
so many things happening in life, it can feel like the world around us is burning. and, in many ways it is. but there are also little delightful things, moments of joy, peeking through. and humor, even when it seems not so. it’s good to give such moments and things our attention as well, and allow ourselves to feel the reprieve and the bits of bliss.
like this, today. Jiselle, sitting atop my shoulders eating the back of my head while i was having a conversation. and then decided she’d had enough, so she moved to kissing my ear. maybe she was appreciating our interdependent relationship. buddhanature to buddhanature.
she’s a sweetheart and moody. her hair gets in everything.
“For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is. Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we…”
~ Yoda
dear people, let’s remember who we are. we are, beneath all the layers of mud, a lotus flower ready to reach the surface and bloom. we are embodied love and light. so let’s set down our fears and defenses, our baggage of unhealed hurts, and allow this quality of love, this quality of light to arise from within, from who and what we are.
ultimately, there is no separateness, separateness is a delusion – something to be fearful of losing and protect at all costs, even the cost of others (we can become quite neurotic about it!) – but there is really just one flesh to wound. so, let us show others it is possible to live as love in this world, to live as peace in this world, to choose healing rather than destruction.
may hearts open, may wisdom arise, and may the Force be with you!
The Metta Garden 