yesterday, April 8th, Buddhists commemorated the birth of Siddartha Gautama, the Indian prince who would become the Buddha, the awakened one. over 2500 years have passed since then and his teachings on suffering, the causes of suffering, and the path out of suffering still resonate. how do we relate to our world and to ourselves in a way that is open-hearted and sane, recognizing our interconnection and interdependence, and living in a way that is loving, compassionate, and balanced, living in equanimity? the Buddha provided a path and practices to engage life in such a way.

when we think of Buddhism or Buddhist practice, meditation quickly comes to mind. meditation practice is part of the path. however, often overlooked, is ethical practice as part of the path, something the Buddha regularly emphasized. ethical living is the ground upon which we live a life that benefits and doesn’t bring or add to harm. how to live in a way that is non-harming can be obvious in some instances, but more subtle and nuanced in others. 

the principles of ethical living (our precepts in Buddhism) can be observed and practiced by Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. principles such as not killing or harming, right speech, etc. in our current times with the proliferation of harmful and divisive rhetoric, along with alternative facts (aka lies) and propaganda, practicing Right Speech is desperately needed. 

below, Roshi Joan Halifax presents what the Buddha said about Right Speech:

The Buddha identified five conditions we are to explore in relation to speech.

1. Do I speak at the right time or not?  Is this the right time?  Really stepping back to see if this is the right moment.

2.  Do I speak the facts or not.  Am I saying what’s really true?

3.  Am I speaking harshly or gently?  

4.  Do my words benefit beings or not?

5.  What is my motivation?  Do I speak with a good heart or is my heart malicious?

these are, indeed, good and beneficial guidelines to live by for our speech. may we learn to use our words beneficially and with love.

~j

⭕️❤️🙏🏻

#SiddarthaGautama #TheBuddha #Buddha #RightSpeech #ethics #meditation #path #practice #EngagedBuddhism #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #art

our words and actions
carried on winds of intent
both flowers and weeds.
~j

we should be careful the seeds we plant. all comes to fruition.

when we practice from a clear and steady mind, from an open heart, from a space of empathy and our own genuine warmth, we bring great benefit. our words and actions rippling out upon the sea of life that surrounds us.

~j

#PlantingSeeds #OpenHeart #empathy #kindness #compassion #beauty #path #practice #EngagedBuddhism #haiku #enso #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #JMWphotography #photography

living a life of love and compassion is a practice and should includes ourselves. in practicing a gentle approach to life, we can include being gentle with ourselves.

we can be aware and honest with ourselves, with tenderness, with kindness. what good comes from beating ourselves up?

~j
⭕️❤️🙏🏻

#love #compassion #gentleness #tenderness #kindness #path #practice

ever opening and offering.

this is the practice.

~j

join me this weekend for lovingkindness meditation practice this weekend as part of Self-Care Saturdays & Sundays, 10am PT. sessions are free and by donation. $10 suggested. link: https://linktr.ee/jaysenwaller

#love #lovingkindness #OpenHeart #opening #offering #path #practice #RamDassQuotes #JinpaLhaga

remaining calm isn’t the same as indifference or inaction. remaining calm allows for spaciousness of mind, where wisdom can inform our decision making, where we can choose a beneficial action rather than being lost in a thoughtless reaction.

another way to think of remaining calm, is to abide in equanimity. equanimity is being in a state of awareness without being pulled by grasping or aggression. in other words, when we are practicing equanimity, we are practicing the opposite of (what is called in Buddhism) the Three Poisons – ignorance, attachment, and aversion.

when we practice mindfulness awareness meditation, we are embodying equanimity. we sit upright, with our attention on our breath, while also allowing our awareness to be open. we don’t grasp after thoughts, sensations, or feelings, etc. as they arise. likewise, we don’t push them away. this practice is also sometimes called Calm Abiding (Shamatha in Sanskrit).

this is a way, a path we can practice for being beneficially awake in our world 💫

~j

⭕️❤️🙏🏻

If you’d like to learn or practice Mindfulness Awareness with me, come sit with me this weekend on Zoom for Self-Care Saturdays & Sundays, 10am PT. sessions are offered free or by donation. $10 suggested. Link: https://linktr.ee/jaysenwaller

#KeepCalm #calm #equanimity #CalmAbiding #mindfulness #awareness #Shamatha #Vipashyana #meditation #path #practice #MeditationTeacher #JinpaLhaga #StarWars #Yoda #Jedi #TheForce

“When you plant seeds in the garden, you don’t dig them up every day to see if they have sprouted yet. You simply water them and clear away the weeds; you know that the seeds will grow in time. Similarly, just do your daily practice and cultivate a kind heart. Abandon impatience and instead be content creating the causes for goodness; the results will come when they’re ready.”

~ Thubten Chodron

to do good work, to plant beneficial seeds with generosity of heart and love, trusting that such good work, such generosity of heart and love will one day flower, while letting go of results and expectations of results is a challenging practice. each day, a recommitment. each moment, a beginning again 🌼

~j

⭕️❤️🙏🏻

#PlantingSeeds #flower #trust #faith #allowance #OpenHeart #generosity #love #GoodWork #LetGo #BeginAgain #path #practice #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #JMWphotography #BWphotography #photography

in addition to my regular sitting meditation practice, i have a simple and short practice i use in moments of stress or heightened energy, when i’d like to come back to my body and mind and remain calm. the practice can be done just about anywhere and at any time. no requirement to sit, you can be standing, walking, lying down, eyes closed or open.

although the practice can be beneficial even if done on its own, it also has way of tapping into the energy of mindfulness cultivated in a regular sitting meditation practice if we have one.

the practice is inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh’s teaching style, using short phrases paired with mindful breathing. i shared this practice with my mom as she went through tests, scans, and radiation for cancer. the practice was beneficial for her and i hope it can be for you as well.

breathing in mindfully, say to yourself:

CALM BODY

breathing out mindfully, say to yourself:

CALM MIND

as we breathe in, we are taking care of our body, we are aware of our breath, feeling the oxygen filled air come into our body, giving our body what it needs to be calm at at ease.

as we breathe out, we release the air and let it go out of the body. at the same time we let go of the air in our lungs, we can release our grasp of thoughts, letting go of our thoughts, our worries, our stress, our anger, our fear. by letting go of these, we are allowing space for a calm mind.

(breathing in)

CALM BODY

(breathing out)

CALM MIND

~j

#CalmBody #CalmMind #mindfulness #meditation #breathe #LetGo #SelfCare #path #practice #JinpaLhaga

hello friends!

if you find benefit or enjoy my content, whether it be my art, writing, meditation tips, etc. please consider becoming a Patreon contributor for as little as $3/month. there are 7 tiers with various – hopefully beneficial – rewards. in addition to tier rewards, Patreon contributors also occasionally and exclusively receive high quality digital prints of my art work for free as well.

i’m currently a full-time caregiver for my dad with his Parkinson’s/Lewy Body Dementia, leaving no time to work outside the home, so the means listed above are my sole way of making my bills (spoiler: i’m not making my bills).

HUGE gratitude for all who have been supporting already or have bought art or have attended class. it has truly been helpful and i’m so grateful!

 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

the content i create and offer will continue to flow regardless, but if you’re able to help support, it’s greatly appreciated. in either case, i hope my art, meditation tips, shared quotes, thoughts, etc are beneficial to you!

AND if you’d like to learn meditation or practice meditation with me, i sit every weekend on Zoom for Self-Care Saturdays & Sundays at 10am PT, offering a 1 HR group class for free or by donation. $10 is the suggested amount.

ALSO if interested, you can purchase various artwork prints or on products at my Redbubble store or message for commissioned work.

*all links can be found at: https://linktr.ee/jaysenwaller

thanks and wishing everyone health and happiness!

~j

⭕️❤️🙏🏻

#dana #generosity #meditation #MeditationClass #MeditationTeacher #artist #art #path #practice #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

it is a brave practice to meet our lives just as they are in this moment, to meet ourselves just as we are, with how we feel, with all we are experiencing. 

it takes a certain amount of bravery to meet our discomfort, a certain amount of fortitude to lean into our life rather than avoiding it, rather than grasping only after what is comfortable and enjoyable, rather than pushing away what is challenging and upsetting.

but life is filled with a full range of experiences and to live our lives fully is to meet all of our life with an open heart, with curiosity, and courage. we learn so much about ourselves and this life by embracing this attitude, by taking this approach. by doing so we are connecting, understanding, and relating to ourselves and others in a very real, human, and tender way. we come to know that everyone, without exception and in a multitude of ways, is experiencing the full range of this life with all of its ups and downs.

meeting our lives where they are, provides the opportunity to be brave, provides a gateway to understanding, to empathy, to tenderness, and compassion. it provides the opportunity to love and the (perhaps) surprising revelation that we have the capacity to be here and to do this thing called life, and to do so with love.

~j

⭕️❤️🙏🏻

#OpenHeart #presence #courage #bravery #curiosity #understanding #empathy #compassion #love #interconnected #human #life #path #practice #PemaChodronQuote #JinpaLhaga

stillness allows for settling.

settling allows for spaciousness.

spaciousness allows for clarity.

this is the practice.

~j

⭕️❤️🙏🏻

come sit and breathe with me this weekend for Self-Care Saturdays and Sundays at 10am PST. hour class includes mindfulness awareness and lovingkindness meditation practices. no experience necessary. free or by donation. $10 suggested. link: https://linktr.ee/jaysenwaller

#stillness #breathe #meditation #mindfulness #awareness #lovingkindness #path #practice #MeditationClass #JinpaLhaga #JMWart