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i find myself often wondering what those who are near to me and passed on may think of where we find ourselves today.

i think of my late grandfather, who as my mom has shared with me, loved history. he was an army veteran, he fought against fascism in World War II. what would he think of the dark, desperate cloud of fascism asserting itself once again in our world globally, including here in the US?

i think of my late friend, Josiah, gone from this world and life far too soon, who lived with such love for life and saw the sacredness inherent in it, who valued gentleness, beauty, openness, and creativity. what would he think of the indifference, the aggression, and cruelty? how would he see the role of light bearers in the slow creep of darkness?

may we remember the past and learn, may we see the inherent sacredness of life calling our hearts to gentleness.

may hearts open, may our light shine, may sanity arise.

#VOTE

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏻

#midterms #elections #history #fascism #democracy #life #love #OpenHeart #gentleness #path #practice #EngagedBuddhism #JinpaLhaga #JosiahAkoyaElkins

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breathe. 

we can begin by just breathing and coming back to ourselves, to this moment, to our heart, to our mind.

from such space we can ask ourselves:

what do i value for this world?

what do i value for this moment? for the future?where can i offer my voice, my vote, to encourage it to be so?

please #VOTE from a space of #dignity, #decency, #compassion, and #courage on November 8th.

may #OpenHearts and #sanity arise, and prevail.

⭕️♥️🙏🏻

#breathe #RegisterToVote #midterms #elections #democracy #SitDownRiseUp #EngagedBuddhism #path #practice #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

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Walk towards the good.

Don’t be distracted by fear, by rage.

Walk towards the good.

In places, that path is wide.

In places, perilous. Walk.

~ John Patrick Shanley

good advice for life. 

and good advice for social media engagement, yes?

(i’m talking to you Twitterverse…)

may our practice of love be marked by clarity, focus, buoyancy, open-heartedness, and resilience today and in all the days ahead.

#VOTE

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏻

#TheGood #clarity #focus #buoyancy #OpenHeart #resilience #love #path #practice #EngagedBuddhist #SocialMedia #Twitter #JinpaLhaga #JohnPatrickShanleyQuotes

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Walk towards the good.

Don’t be distracted by fear, by rage.

Walk towards the good.

In places, that path is wide.

In places, perilous. Walk.

~ John Patrick Shanley

good advice for life. 

and good advice for social media engagement, yes?

(i’m talking to you Twitterverse…)

may our practice of love be marked by clarity, focus, buoyancy, open-heartedness, and resilience today and in all the days ahead.

#VOTE

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏻

#TheGood #clarity #focus #buoyancy #OpenHeart #resilience #love #path #practice #EngagedBuddhist #SocialMedia #Twitter #JinpaLhaga #JohnPatrickShanleyQuotes

please #VOTE from a space of #dignity, #decency, #compassion, and #courage on November 8th.

may #OpenHearts and #sanity arise, and prevail.

⭕️♥️🙏🏻

Posted @withrepost • @joanhalifax Roshi Joan: Why and how we vote: The Four Embracing Actions of the Bodhisattva and ending political violence

early Sunday morning vibes to start the week…

may we have the capacity to meet this moving world, along with others and ourselves in all situations, with a strong back and open heart. 

the world needs us to show up with empathy, kindness, and compassion, even when others do not and in delusion cause harm. 

let’s shine our light, friends, and love love love.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏻

#luminous #StrongBack #OpenHeart #love #empathy #FierceCompassion #path #practice #EngagedBuddhism #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #VOTE

are we paying attention?

in 2015 i posted an article written by a historian warning of the trend both in the US and globally toward authoritarianism, fomented by “strong men” (and “strong women” – one should note this term doesn’t equate actual strength) who embrace ultra nationalist ideology. to my chagrin, i am unable to find that essay now. it was a warning, a warning we’ve been slow to heed in this country and we are living out the consequences. elections have consequences.

anti-Semitism is on the rise in our country. my heart and voice are with my Jewish friends. i stand in solidarity with you. it should be noted that anti-Semitism goes hand in hand with authoritarian movements. 

i’ve shared Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From The Twentieth Century, multiple times, because it is so applicable to what we are experiencing in our country today. history is being repeated. the chipping away of our representative democracy is happening, following the playbook.

no one wins and no one, no group is ultimately safe, with fascism. no one. it only leads to harm and destruction. it eventually fails, but at what cost? why align with such harm, such destruction?

please read history, please face the present moment, please use your voice to push back against fascism and most importantly #VOTE in these #midterm #elections. we are just a little over a week away. i have links in my bio to inform yourself and to register if you haven’t.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏻

#democracy #fascism #EngagedBuddhism #path #practice #JinpaLhaga #TimothySnyder #OnTyranny

more and more in my own life and practice, and as i read the wisdom of others long in their journey, it seems clear that love and compassion (which i would call embodied love) are choices we make, vows we commit to.

feelings come and go. basing our compassion on how we feel can lead to bias in to whom we extend our compassion. there is some ego stuff going on there. but to commit to compassion, a vow so to speak, is something we do regardless of how we feel and it is a choice we make over and over – moment to moment, day to day. 

it can be a challenging commitment, but we can “look to the helpers” as Mr. Rogers once shared, those who are living out that choice – that vow, for inspiration as we commit to do the same.

let’s commit to compassion together and let’s infuse our #VOTE in just a little under two weeks with such intention and loving action, to benefit all beings.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏻

#compassion #EmbodiedLove #love #OpenHeart #wisdom #path #practice #EngagedBuddhism #midterms #JinpaLhaga #RabbiZalmanSchachterShalomQuote #JewishWisdom✡️

vengeance isn’t the same as justice.

choosing to embody and act out of love isn’t a weakness.

and accountability is important for transformation and growth.

these can all be true.

#path and #practice.

~j

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#ChooseLove #love #OpenHeart #wisdom #DoNoHarm #EngagedBuddhism #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #SanayaRomanQuotes

#SacredDuty #CivicDuty one and the same. we have, for now, the immeasurable privilege & opportunity to have a say in our representative #democracy. a voice in what happens next. an action that carries the goodwill and hope of generations before us.

we are on a precipice. please #engage #participate and #VOTE

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏻

Posted @withrepost • @mindourdemocracy Thanissara on how we further the sacred legacy of democratic participation when we vote! 🙏 🗳️

#MindOurDemocracy

#MindfulVoting

#2022Midterms