afternoon slides into evening,
with such ease.
there is always movement.
life doesn’t stop, it doesn’t need to.
i practice to move with life.
not ahead of it, not lagging behind,
not stopping with heels dug in.
even when sitting, silently,
in stillness, i move with each breath.
~j
#life #impermanence #movement #change #path #practice #meditation #EngagedBuddhism #JinpaLhaga
“The practice is never for ourselves alone.”
~ Joseph Goldstein
sometimes there is a misconception about meditators being “navel gazers” and meditation just being some form of “self-help”. and this may be true for some (btw – not that self-help is a bad thing! self-help can be a very beneficial pursuit on one’s journey to and practice of healthy living.)
but from a Buddhist perspective, meditation practice is not about just oneself. how can it be? one of the foundations of Buddhism is recognition of our interdependence. we don’t exist in a silo. as Buddhists, when we meditate, we meditate for the benefit of all beings (which does also include ourselves). our intention to “wake up”, is to do so for the benefit of others. and on a practical level this makes a lot of sense. if we are more at ease, clear headed, open hearted, and stable, then we bring these qualities to those we interact with.
of course, we don’t have to be Buddhists to have and set such intention. each of us, as we sit down to meditate no matter our tradition or non-tradition, can do so with the intention to wake up to ourselves and our lives not just to our benefit, but to he benefit of those around us as well. we can dedicate whatever benefits of clarity, strength, stability, open heartedness, calmness, ease, and insight we have to those around us on outward to everyone we encounter and even those we may not encounter.
may we practice in such a way, that all life benefits from our practice.
~j
#meditation #path #practice #EngagedBuddhism #bodhisattvas #JMWart #JinpaLhaga
this, your very heart.
broken open, heals the world.
dam breaks, water flows.
~j
11.11.15
i wrote this a little over 5 years ago now.
still true, i think 🙏🏻
~j
#haiku #OpenHeart #love #life #healing #path #practice #Metta #EngagedBuddhism #JMWart #JinpaLhaga #JMWphotography #photography
wishing all who observe, a beneficial Ash Wednesday and beginning of the Lenten season!
so many will participate in prayer and renunciation during this period leading up to Easter.
renunciation can really get a bad rap. we rarely want to sacrifice or fast from things. we can change our perspective though. renunciation is really an act of freedom. letting go of things, allowing them to escape our grip, our habit, our patterns, can be extremely liberating. we can approach it with some investigation and curiosity. do i really need this? how do i really feel without it? what are my relationships to things, food, habits, patterns in my life?
renunciation can also be a form of simply reprioritizing what is important and needed in our lives. our letting go, can make room for more beneficial habits and the Lenten season can be a really beneficial period to develop these new, beneficial habits.
we can use this time to reestablish our relationship to ourselves and how we love our life.
~j
#AshWednesday #Lent #renunciation #LetGo #path #practice #EngagedBuddhism #JMWart #JinpaLhaga
ah, beautiful Rumi! so comforting and reassuring.
his call to our hearts can be applied to our meditation practice as well. one of the hallmarks of our practice is beginning again. when we realize we have drifted off into thought, we gently return to placing our attention on our breath. we don’t judge or criticize, we just come back and begin again. over and over, this is the practice. it doesn’t matter how many times. we become lost in thought, we come back. we miss a day, we come back. we miss a week, we come back, and on and on.
don’t despair! hold all of it in love, with your gentleness, your tenderness, and kindness.
~j
Hey there.
You’ve been asleep
for a long time.
Isn’t it time
to awaken?
~
Ajahn Chah
#NirvanaDay #WakeUp #path #practice #meditation #life #OpenHeart #EngagedBuddhism #JMWart #JinpaLhaga
on this day, we celebrate romance and relationships, which can be a beautiful expression of love.
but why limit our idea of love?
love is far more vast than romance and can be found in so many places if our hearts are open to it.
it is true, that love is everywhere, and that includes our very own hearts.
we can begin there. begin by loving ourselves well, with open-heartedness, with tenderness, kindness and compassion. we too are worthy of our own love.
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche said, “It is this tender heart that has the power to transform the world.”
true, true.
Happy Valentine’s Day, friends!
~j
#ValentinesDay #love #OpenHeart #path #practice #EngagedBuddhism #JinpaLhaga
(excerpted from the 9th Mindfulness Training of Thich Nhat Hanh’s 14 Mindfulness Trainings of Engaged Buddhism)
this takes courage to do. it is an act of bravery to speak up, to speak out when it is needed, when we feel called to, when history demands it.
we can see individuals throughout history, and even some today, who embody such bravery and integrity.
we can also see quite clearly throughout history and even today (this very day in Congress!) those who do not.
may we set our intention and do our best to embody such bravery when it is needed, when our hearts and history call upon us to do so. 🙏🏻
~j
#RightSpeech #FierceCompassion #bravery #integrity #justice #path #practice #EngagedBuddhism #ThichNhatHanhQuotes #JinpaLhaga
hello friends!
Tashi Delek and Happy Losar, the Tibetan New Year!
also, Happy Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year!
2021 is the Year of the Iron Ox. the Iron Ox has a calm, steady strength and is tenacious, and also has a sense of integrity and responsibility – all traits we can practice in this year ahead!
may it bring happiness and ease 🙏🏻
~j
#Losar #TibetanNewYear #ChineseNewYear #LunarNewYear #IronOx #Ox #JMWart #JinpaLhaga
it’s been said that our wounds are how the light enters us.
perhaps our wounds are also the opening through which we offer the light within us to the world, as well.
let there be light, indeed 🙏🏻
~j
#LetThereBeLight #light #LuminousBeings #candle #wounds #healing #offering #OpenHeart #path #practice #EngagedBuddhism #JMWart #JinpaLhaga
The Metta Garden 