Mornië utúlië (darkness has come)
Mornië alantië (darkness has fallen)

if our hearts are open, if we can manage to stay with the suffering we see, allowing it in, so that our compassion may be awakened, then that compassion will lead us into action to end suffering.

darkness may come and imbalance may take hold, but with the engagement of open hearts, empathy, wisdom and fierce compassion courageously put into action, the imbalance of darkness will fall and harmony can manifest.
~j

*this art is now available for purchase as prints framed/unframed, on household items, accessories, and apparel 🤗check out at the JMWart Redbubble online store directly at JMWart.redbubble.com or linked through my website (www.jaysenwaller.com)👍🏻

#Darkness #Light #balance #YinTang #harmony #FierceCompassion #Bodhisattvas #SitDownRiseUp #EngagedBuddhism #JMWart #JinpaLhaga #MornieUtulieMornieAlantie #Tolkien

let’s not forget the toll this pandemic has & is taking on people’s lives & the lives of their loved ones & those left behind. let us not become indifferent to loss, to pain, to suffering.

it’s quite easy at the moment, here in California, to feel like the pandemic has run its final lap. California at this moment is in a better position in regards to cases & transmission than other states here in the US & also other countries. this is good news for those of us who live here, but California isn’t the rest of the country, or the world.
there are still several states who are having to make the difficult decision of rationing hospital care & denying care, deciding who may or may not be viable & if able having to send patients out to other states to be treated. the US Air Force Reserves have been called up to fly patients from one state to another to receive lifesaving care. immense gratitude to our service members for serving in such a way.

on the world stage, this pandemic is far from over, w/ many countries still waiting for vaccines so they can vaccinate their populations. as long as the virus continues to transmit, it will continue to evolve new variants & we will continue to struggle.
as our country struggles to fully reopen, even while divisive infighting over mask wearing & vaccine mandates continues, let us not lose sight of the bigger picture, the fuller picture of not just our country, but the world’s situation.
when able, enjoy each other fully & safely. continue to social distance & wear masks when needed & if eligible/able get vaccinated not just for oneself, but as an act of empathy & compassion for others, for our communities, our country, our world.

the economy has importance, re-emerging into a new normal (a better normal?) is important, but let us not forget those who have suffered & those who continue to suffer, let us not forget the toll this pandemic has taken & in many places is still taking. let us vow to do our part to end suffering, end this pandemic & not lose the heart in our humanity in the process.
~j

#COVID19 #pandemic #suffering #reopening #empathy #compassion #life

dear beautiful friends, i’m a day late but…
Happy #NationalComingOutDay!🏳️‍🌈🙏🏻
the when, where, and how of coming out is a highly personal journey, but please know that our authenticity and our diversity is our beauty and strength!we have a long way to go, especially for our Transgender family who are particularly marginalized and targeted in this current time. we must stand up and speak out for all to have the opportunity to live fully and with love. we are all worthy of love and luminous manifestations of life.
i created this LGBTQ+ Pride Buddha earlier this year and i’m happy to say it is now available as various art prints unframed and framed, on clothing, household items, and accessories at my Redbubble store, JMWart. you can go directly visit via my website (www.jaysenwaller.com).
share your Pride🏳️‍🌈🙏🏻❤️🧡💛💚💙💜
~j

#NationalComingOutDay2021 #LGBTQIA #LGBTQ+ #LGBT #Queer #ComingOut #Pride #authenticity #life #beauty #love #OpenHeart #bravery #strength #EngagedBuddhism #Buddha #PrideBuddha #diversity #rainbow #QueerArt #DharmaArt #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #art

today is Vietnamese Zen master, poet, peace activist, and inspirational forebearer of Engaged Buddhism, Thich Nhat Hanh’s 95th birthday (or Continuation Day as is said in many Buddhist circles).

Thay (as his students call him) was my gateway into Buddhism and remains a guiding force on this path. i consider Thay my root teacher. though only having seen him once in person, his teachings, books, and art have had an undeniable inspirational effect on my life, practice, and art.

his gentleness, his clarity, his warmth and wisdom are hallmarks of embodying an open heart, compassion and wakefulness.
i feel confident in saying that my path as meditation practitioner, teacher, and contemplative artist or my wanting to be of benefit to the world simply would not be without his presence and influence on this lifetime. he and his art remain prominent in my heart and on my altar space.

may Thay continue to bring light and love into this world, benefitting a world in need of healing and peace.
~j

#ThichNhatHanh #Thay #Zen #Buddhism #EngagedBuddhism #PlumVillage #love #compassion #OpenHeart #path #practice #JinpaLhaga

we too often legitimize physical health over mental health, not recognizing or aware that physical health affects mental health and mental health affects physical health. what we think of as two, are in fact one relationship, both legitimate and both in need of our awareness and care.

on #WorldMentalHealthDay we stand in solidarity and affirm all who struggle with mental health, to remove stigma, open communication, and encourage ourselves, family, and friends to seek help when needed.
we should remember that self-care is mental health and self-care looks like:-

rest- setting boundaries- saying “no”- going for a walk- exercise- drinking water- communing with nature- meditating- laughter- journaling- creating art- eating good food- asking for help- therapy- medication.

what other self-care can you think of to add to your list?
~j

#MentalHealth #Semicolon #life #love #enso #calligraphy #EngagedBuddhism #Zen #art #JMWart #JinpaLhaga

*pictured: Semicolon Enso with short verse, “you are life, you are loved.”

**image available at JMWart (link in images and in bio) – a portion of any products sales with this art and design will be donated to organizations who serve and advocate for mental health awareness and those who struggle with mental health.

Hello friends! 🤗
I have a website – JMW Art & Meditation found at www.jaysenwaller.com! It’s basically a launch site for my multi-hyphenate life. 😂
+On the ABOUT page you can meet who I am (…not everything, but a bit more than the stardust that we are made of 🌟✨😉).

+On the ART page you can view some samples of my art and a link to JMWart, my Redbubble store where you can purchase anything from prints of my art and photography, to stationary, stickers, magnets, accessories, shirts – even shower curtains and bedding! 😳 I currently have over 40 designs in the store. 🎨🖌

+ On the MEDITATION page, I share my experience and view of path & practice, the practices I teach, along with some testimonials. I will also be posting a public teaching schedule soon with a link for sign ups. I offer both individual and group meditation instruction. 🧘🏼‍♂️📿

+ On the ACTING page, there’s agent contact, a short bio, link to my IMDb page, along with some production and behind the scenes production photos. I hope to have a reel up soon as well. 🎭🎬

+There’s also a CONTACT page to reach out directly to connect for commissioned art, and/or personal 1 to 1 meditation practice instruction/questions, along with social media links. 💌

+You can also click on the link to visit my blog – The Metta Garden which I’ve been doing for the past several years, if that is of interest. ✍🏻

I’ll be posting more updates soon on my art and related items that are for sale. I’ll be sharing these along with updates on my public teaching schedule on all social media accounts as well.

Thanks! ❤️🙏🏻~j

#art #meditation #mindfulness #contemplation #PathAndPractice #acting #jaysenwaller #JMWart #JMW

compassion puts the best of who we are – our open heartedness, empathy, and love – into action.

compassion recognizes our interdependent relationship with all around us and it works to bring healing and end harm.

this is acting in accordance with life, with love.
as the saying goes, “love wins.”
~j

#compassion #empathy #OpenHeart #love #life #interdependence #healing #LoveWins #EngagedBuddhism #JinpaLhaga

today is Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. i’m sharing his quote on the power of nonviolence, because it is how he is best known and also because the power of this message is still deeply resonate and needed today.

we can expand our self and public inquiry into what nonviolence really means. this curiosity and openness to discovery reveals just how subtle violence can be in our personal relationships (even our relationship to ourselves) embodied in impatience and an eagerness to control, and also in the public sphere in traditions both religious and secular, and in governmental and institutional policies that aggress, especially towards the marginalized.

in time we discover that the qualities of an open heart, of empathy, of tenderness and kindness, of compassion, are nonviolence embodied. they pull the rug out under violence and aggression, making it impotent one word, one action, one conversation, one relationship at a time.

when we practice meditation – sitting, breathing, approaching ourselves and present moment with a gentle, tender openness – we are embodying nonviolence. we can take this same quality out into the world.
~j

#Gandhi #GandhiBirthday #nonviolence #nonaggression #tenderness #kindness #compassion #empathy #OpenHeart #meditation #path #practice #JinpaLhaga

wishing everyone a beautiful #AutumnEquinox as we ease into the embrace of change, the inward looking that prepares for the Winter ahead, which all the while holds within it the hope of Spring.

today with equal parts light and dark, we recognize the balance and harmony that is within life. may we embrace the simplicity of such balance, may we be reminded of our interdependent relationship with all things, which itself embodies harmony.

~j

#Autumn #Fall #Equinox #change #balance #harmony #path #practice #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #art

today is #InternationalDayOfPeace.i thought about posting some pretty, peaceful image. people like that. but then i saw the infuriating photos of the Texas Border Patrol officers herding Haitian refugees like cattle, with one using what looks like the reins for his horse as a whip on the refugees and i decided to show what peace DOES NOT look like. is this how we are to treat people? with inhumanity? no.

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…I tell you the truth whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me.” Matthew 25: 35-36, 40.

how can we take away anything other than immigrants and refugees being our neighbor in need?

i’m a Buddhist, but this is just a name, a label of my practice and approach to life, to suffering and the call the relieve and heal suffering in this world and life.i’m a Buddhist partly because Buddhist practice embodies this teaching of Jesus, whom i love and learn from.

if we don’t approve of what these images display, we must speak out.
if you do approve of what these images display, take it up with Jesus.🙏🏻
~j

#IStandWithRefugees #IStandWithImmigrants
#TheGoldenRule #Compassion