thousands dead in Puerto Rico (estimates range but even the lowest estimate is 12 times the official death toll of 64) where multitudes are still without power or clean water or easy access to food.

infants and toddlers separated from parents at the border. people (children!) being held in cages-like dog runs, sleeping on concrete with space blankets.

i implore each of us to face this. do not turn away. look deep in your heart, put yourself in the life of these people – of a parent, of a child. don’t allow this to normalize.

this is an attack on our conscience, on empathy itself. this is how the soul dies.

~j

06.07.18

#suffering #empathy #humanity #MeditateAndResist #MindfulResistance #StandUp #SpeakOut #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #enso #Zen #EngagedBuddhism #JMWart

include

everything

hold on

to nothing

~j

#AllOfIt #LetGo #life #OpenHeart #OpenHand #balance #harmony #meditation #zen #buddhism #enso #JMWart

Know that your precious, infinitely beloved, and irreplaceable self will dissolve like a sand castle, grain by grain—and what a relief it is to know. You exist in a great space of knowing, filled with the shared ephemerality of all things.

~Sallie Tisdale

the great impermanence of things presents a sacred beauty and sadness. it also present a freedom to let go and ease up a bit, to keep a sense of humor, to cherish every moment in this life. why wait until our last moment and breath when we can practice now?

this is it.

~j

#impermanence #life #death #change #OpenHeart #ThisIsIt #TheTimeIsNow #meditation #zen #buddhism #enso #JMWart

Yes, there is tremendous suffering all over the world, but knowing that need not paralyze us. If we practice mindful breathing, mindful walking, mindful sitting, and working in mindfulness, we try our best to help, and we can have peace in our heart.

~

Thich Nhat Hanh

we are not helpless in this stormy sea. we can be lifeboats, lighthouses, and stars. we can help carry above the waves, shine light and give direction for the course ahead. the practice begins with us, coming home to the present moment, our body and breath, our mind and heart. creating space and a capacity for life within ourselves, empowers us to do so for those around us, our loved ones and the stranger, those close and those far. what we come to realize is that there are no strangers and no one is too far.

to an open heart there is no “other” or distance between us.

~j

#StormySeas #challenges #meditation #practice #mindfulness #zen #buddhism #compassion #peace #JMWart

Zen practice is about appreciating your life in this moment.

~

Peter Matthiessen

Breathe, you are alive.

~

Thich Nhat Hanh

#JustThis #ThisMoment #presence #impermanence #life #meditation #mindfulness #Zazen #Zen #Buddhism #JMWart

we need a revolution of love, an opening of our hearts to sustain an energy grounded in compassion for the journey before us. it’s all too easy to get overwhelmed and lost. this pain and suffering, if not cared for, can harm ourselves and others.

i wrote this verse a while back for myself based on the Bodhisattva Vow and Metta (lovingkindness) practice to help me cultivate an open heart, to stay in touch with the goodness and the light of Being that is always present in life.

i share it with hope that it may be of benefit to you on your path as well. 😌🙏🏻📿

~j

#openheart #compassion #bodhisattva #metta #meditation #practice #buddhism #revolution

There is much beauty here because there is much beauty everywhere.”

~

Rainer Maria Rilke

#beauty #nature #life #OpenYourEyes #contemplation #meditation #Zen #Buddhism #JMWphotography #BWphotography #photography

meditation is a practice

coming back to reality ~

here i am.

this is my breath coming in

and going out.

this is my body aching or at rest.

hearing the sounds of this moment.

taking care of oneself in this reality ~

i feel my body. i feel any tension or pain.

i hold it with tenderness and breathe into it

and breathe out of it.

i hear the confusion in my mind.

thoughts racing nowhere.

i hold this feeling with understanding

and compassion.

letting go and coming back to my breath.

i hear the lovely sounds of life around me.

i am grateful and smile.

staying open to reality ~

my heart has the capacity to hold

the entire world and all of life.

my mind, the wisdom to let go.

i stay open to the present,

trusting life and my true nature,

trusting the capacity of my heart to

stay open and grow.

and in this space of understanding

and compassion

– in this openness –

i am able to be of benefit

to others’ well being

and their end to suffering

as well as my own.

~j

#meditation #MeditationPractice #contemplation #mindfulness #zen #compassion #understanding #life #peace #breathing #service #presence #pain #tension #WellBeing #health

open up

bring forth your light

shine it bright

into this present

night

strip it all away

piece by piece

renew your sight

with heart open

we take flight

there is no need

to fight

~j

sunlight

#light #enso #Zen #Buddhism #JMWart

hope. there’s always hope. life always finds a way. just be still and open.

~j

#life #hope #OpenEyes #OpenHeart #OpenMind #nature #beauty #meditation #contemplation #practice #Zen #Buddhism #JMWphotography #BWphotography #photography