War, economic injustice, racism, and environmental destruction
stem from the illusion of separateness.
~
Jack Kornfield
artwork
just breathe…
it may feel like too much, or it may feel like all of it is spinning out of control. take a moment to stop. just stop what you are doing and breathe. just breathe.
there is plenty of work to be done, there is plenty of good to be done. none of it will get done by you, if you do not retain your sanity. so, take a moment to breathe. ~j
#breathe #MeditateAndResist #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #Shamatha #JustBreathe
cannot stop the Spring…
You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep Spring from coming.
~ Pablo Neruda
friends ~
love is the spring. your open heart and your love, have the power to awaken this world. so, center yourself in openness and love no matter the outside forces, moving forward with empathy and compassion, working to lessen the suffering in the world.
~j
the true enemy…
The other person is not our enemy.
Our enemies are misunderstanding,
discrimination, violence, hatred,
and anger.
~
Thich Nhat Hanh
I love this teaching. It is deceptively challenging. On the face of it, most would probably agree (though some may not). However, when put into practice, I think most of us will find we fall short of honoring these wise words.
In a time such as now, when so much feels at stake and emotions are heightened (and for good reason), the easier path is to assign blame to one person or a group of people and go in for the kill. It is easier to have a face to direct our anger, our grief, our confusion. It even feels good! However good this feels in the short term, and however much it may motivate and seem to contribute to a resolution, in the long run it remains a delusion and contributes to cyclical suffering, fueling the very enemies we are working to defeat.
We will only be successful in our struggle, in this movement, when our motivation to act is fueled by a fierce compassion, born of a love that seeks the end of suffering for all beings, even those who act in harmful ways and contribute to the suffering we are fighting to liberate from.
This is the challenge of our time. In an era where we seek targets to blame and scapegoats for our suffering, can we with fierce compassion, work for the very solid cause of defeating fascism, defeating racism, defeating homophobia and transphobia, defeating policies that dismiss the poor, the sick, the elderly? Can we do this without demonizing individuals, even as we tirelessly work for their removal from positions of power, and work against the harmful policies and suffering their ideology causes? Buddhism and other contemplative practices say we can. And in fact, when we do we are honoring our true nature and not adding to the suffering. When we act out of fierce compassion, born from love, we upend the true enemies we seek to defeat: confusion, discrimination, violence, hatred, and anger. And in doing so, we are planting seeds toward the long arc, contributing to the end of suffering for all people. Then we are acting as bodhisattvas in this world. And this world, especially now, needs as many bodhisattvas as it can get.
We begin with our own hearts.
~j
05.19.17
no separation…
war or peace?…
Every day, at the moment when things get edgy,
we can just ask ourselves,
“Am I going to practice peace, or am I going to war?”
~
Pema Chödrön
happy mother’s day…
to my mom and all moms – thank you for teaching love!!Happy Mother’s Day!
“Like a caring mother holding and guarding the life of her only child, So with a boundless heart hold yourself and all beings.”
~
The Buddha
hold to the center…
A monk asked Xinghua Cunjiang, “What should one do when things come from every direction?”
The master said, “Hold to the center.”
The monk bowed.
The master then said, ” Yesterday, as I was on my way to a dinner in the village, I was caught in a sudden storm with heavy rain and violent wind, so I headed for an old shrine and found shelter.”
~ Entangling Vines: A Classic Collection of Zen Koans,
trans. Thomas Yuho Kirchner
I read the above story in the latest edition of Tricycle Buddhist Review, from an essay written by Wendy Egyoku Nakao Roshi. I was moved by this story and inspired to create the artwork above.
Where do you find your center? What anchors you as the waves crash around and against you? Where do you find your ease and calm as turbulent winds swirl around knocking you off balance? How do you keep awareness focused, when distractions vie for your attention?
For me it is my meditation practice, it is nature, it is the tenderness of an open heart, it is love. It is staying with all that is and bearing witness, anchored in my breath and them from a place of compassion, moving into some sort of action that feels beneficial, that hopefully serves love and light.
I suppose everyone’s center may be different. It seems increasingly important to know what it is. There seem to be some who are intent on knocking us off balance repeatedly, wearing us out. But what they have forgotten, or may not be aware of, is that there is a place for each of us where we can find our balance, our focus, and a calm resolve to stick with it for the long arc.
~j
05.11.17
offer all of it…
today is Teacher Appreciation Day. there are so many teachers I am grateful for, so many who have influenced my life in small and large ways. what a gift!
today, though, I would like to highlight Susan Piver. I trained to be a Meditation Instructor under her guidance and I continue to learn from her practical, grounded practice and teaching. she is real, direct, humorous, and generous.
below is a teaching I keep going back to. so beneficial.
“When I’m at my lowest and have no more ideas about what to do, I think, ‘Offer it,’ and something shifts. Even if only for a moment, I feel lighter. It’s not a simple offloading into the ether; I intend my feelings as a devotional gift, a kind of mind-Prasad. Even though I have no idea how my ‘gift’ could be of any value, I offer it anyway…I know not to what or to whom.” ~Susan Piver
profound. just “offer it.” all of it. the sadness, the anger, the hurt, the confusion, the broken heart. the swirling chaos, and the shaking ground beneath your feet. who you are, where you are at, what you are feeling – offer it. all of it.
~j
05.09.17
dancing between the two…
we have within our hearts
the capacity to
hold all of this.
the tears, the laughter
the noise, the silence
the gain, the loss
the stillness
the love.
we also have within our minds
the wisdom to
let it all go.
and here we are
on this journey together
learning to dance between the two.
this life!
this life!
~j
The Metta Garden 