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some needed clarity & wisdom for the moment we are in, not just for those in power, but for all of us. 

what kind of love are we participating in? how is our love being engaged & taking form for those who are being harmed & for all who are suffering? 

may our love be both tender & fierce in this time, for the benefit of all.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#love #compassion #power #OpenHeart #RichardRohr #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

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when we are honest with ourselves about who we exclude from our view of the sacred – through our thoughts, words, & actions – we will see how we are complicit & contributing to harm, through support of systems & structures that marginalize, oppress, & destroy life, often manifesting within us simply as indifference.

a closed heart is an indifferent heart, so we must keep our hearts open to others – especially for those we feel resistance towards. otherwise we feed into the continual cycles of violence. this love is not the warm fuzzy feelings of a Hallmark card. this love is the very real & gritty choice to not exclude or harm.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#OpenHeart #AllLifeIsSacred #interdependence #PaulFarmer #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

though i didn’t study with Larry directly, his writing, his teaching and especially his poetry & his inclusion of his Christian teaching with Buddhadharma have had deep resonance for me on my own journey.

with deep bows of gratitude, may his journey onward be filled with ease and love.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

Posted @withregram • @thelotus_institute 

Dear friends and beloved community,

This morning, Tuesday, August 19, our beloved teacher and wise elder, Larry Ward (True Great Sound), passed away in his home in Rhode Island. Larry had faced some health challenges recently, yet he continued to live and teach fully in each moment. He was always quick to share his morning practice of the Five Remembrances, and how he started every day, before his feet touched the ground, in contemplation of our impermanence and oneness.

Larry is a lighthouse of love, laughter, and wisdom for countless people across generations, cultures and faiths. His voice, the lion’s roar, grew even louder this year as we all faced the challenges of a world on fire. His expression of the Dharma was at once rebellious, accessible and drew on teachings across Christianity, Buddhism and beyond.

Through it all, his radiant smile, joyful belly laughs, and boundless compassion made us feel safe and at home—reminding us that we are doing our best, and that we are enough, just as we are. At Lotus, in team meetings and events, he’d always encourage us to go outside, be in the company of birds, deer, and trees, and sit in the natural wonder of this world—and try not to worry too much.

Peggy is being held in the loving care of family and friends. Please keep her in your hearts and prayers.

Soon, we will have an opportunity to gather and remember Larry and the things he loved: music, poetry, stories, and laughter. For now, we ask you to join us in providing your collective energy and support to Larry in this time of transition.

With deep gratitude and care,

Mona, Matt, Celeste, Mai and Hoa

The Lotus team

#larryward #lotusinstitute

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in the long run, authoritarianism, fascism, dictatorship – by whatever name we give such darkness – don’t stand a chance.

stay with love & all that it engenders: openness, empathy, tenderness, kindness, compassion. these are the values born of truth, that already reside within the depths of our being, in the spark of who we truly are before & beyond delusion, grasping, & aggression, the values that bind us together in healing & purpose, beyond reproach.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#love #truth #strength

#CharlesDickens #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

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rooted in the earth

these arms reaching to the sun

momentary tree

~ j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#haiku #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #photography

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“I do not care for happiness which is sought at the price of others’ suffering.”  

~The Buddha (from Buddhacarita)

how many of us are willing to take a hard look at the actions of this administration, at consumption, or at capitalist economics?

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#interdependence #happiness #suffering #TheBuddha

#JinpaLhaga #JMWart #photography

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“We are here to awaken from our illusion of separateness.”

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#WakeUp #interdependence #OpenHeart #empathy #love #compassion #ThichNhatHanh #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

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to continually choose love takes immense bravery. authoritarians are weak, desperate, & disconnected from the whole. but mostly, they are deeply afraid. we see this in their targeting of the most vulnerable & paranoia regarding all those around them, leading them to demand loyalty beyond any other attribute. this is as true today as it has been throughout history. 

may all authoritarians wake up to life & love, & may their access to power & influence find its end.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#cruelty #weakness #gentleness #strength #courage #love #LeoBuscaglia #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

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some wisdom from the late Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

especially beneficial, perhaps, for this time. it seems to me that a soul at rest has made love its companion. during this challenging time, may we not compromise our hearts or our capacity to love. rather, may we renew vows at the start of each day to choose love in every moment, maintaining our integrity & peace.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#soul #OpenHeart #peace #rest #love #MalcolmJamalWarner #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

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“The heart is the hub of all sacred places. Go there and roam.”

~ Bhagawan Nityananda

may we go into the deep, dark, & quiet of our heart, where love springs forth. may we rediscover who we are in love. may such love fill us fully, leaving no room for indifference, for exclusion, for cruelty, for hate. from such space of love may we speak & act for the benefit of all who suffer, leaving no one outside of our empathy & compassion. may our own journey become a catalyst for healing action in this, our shared, world.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#OpenHeart #love #path #practice #sacred #BhagawanNityananda #JinpaLhaga #JMWart