we eventually come to the realization that life doesn’t bend to our comfort level.

instead, it provides the opportunity to grow in our capacity to open to life as it it in this moment.

~j

#TheLongArc #ForeverOpening #practice #OpenHeart #PlantingSeeds #life #mindfulness #EngagedBuddhist #Zen #Buddhism #enso #JMWart

some new ink inspired by Thay (Thich Nhat Hanh) 😌🙏🏻

No Mud, No Lotus.

#NoMudNoLotus #TheLongArc #ThichNhatHanh #wisdom #Zen #Buddhism #calligraphy #lotus #enso #JMWart

I have recently been wearing the pin pictured in this post. It is a lotus mandala with tiny hearts in it.

This pin reminds me of the phrase given by Thay (Thich Nhat Hanh), in his calligraphy, and in his book by the same name. The phrase is: No Mud, No Lotus.

The lotus flower is considered quite beautiful by many, but has its beginnings in the grimy, smelly, muddy bottom depths of ponds. The lotus flower is also considered sacred, a symbol of enlightenment. Our enlightenment, or awakening is birthed and motivated out of our suffering and our desire to be free from and end suffering.

For all of us, there is a lot going on in life – globally, in our careers, in our families. There are times when we feel like we are down in the muck and muddy floor of life. It is helpful to remember and such times, that out of such times can come great transformation and beauty. It is beneficial for us to remember the paradox that without some pain and suffering, we wouldn’t know what joy and peace are.

I find the phrase “No Mud, No Lotus” really beneficial in my life right now, calling me to the reality that we can’t have one without the other. As Thay says in his book, “If you don’t have mud, the lotus won’t manifest. You can’t grow lotus flowers on marble. Without mud, there can be no lotus.”

But it is also a salve in these times, a healing reminder that out of suffering and what we perceive as the ugliness of life, can come great beauty and healing transformation.

I think life is calling us right now to nurture the elements and conditions that support the blossoming of the lotus from the mud in our lives, on a personal and global scale.

No Mud, No Lotus.

~j

#NoMudNoLotus #TheLongArc #ThichNhatHanh #Zen #Buddhism #transformation #awakening #PlantingSeeds #EngagedBuddhist

snail at rest

it’s good to rest.

~j

#bwphotography #photography #jmwphotography #ZenPhotography #snail #nature #life #wisdom #Zen

Here in our shadows

Loving all that is broken

The Sun always shines

~ j

#InnerLight #AlwaysShines #InnateGoodness #love #OpenHeart #healing #ShineYourLight #shine #light #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #haiku #Zen #Buddhist #enso #JMWart

when you miss the Sun

look to the Moon

when you miss the Moon

then you shall see

all of the suns

have come out to play

~j

#SittingWithStars #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #meditation #practice #Zen #Buddhist #stars #sun #moon #enso #JMWart

Stopping is the basic Buddhist practice of meditation. You stop running. You stop struggling. You allow yourself to rest, to heal, to calm.

~

Thich Nhat Hanh

the basic practice of stopping before we begin or continue, even if only for a moment or a few breaths, can also provide the space to ground ourselves and allow a freedom to choose what thoughts to go with or let go of, what words to say, and what actions to take, choosing what is beneficial rather than what continues the patterns of harm and cycle of suffering.

~j

#stop #pause #breathe #rest #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #practice #meditation #SitDownAndRiseUp #EngagedBuddhist #Zen #Buddhism #ZenCalligraphy #JMWart

Arrogance and fear still keep you from learning the simplest and most significant lesson of all…it’s not about you.

~ The Ancient One

(from the #Marvel film, Doctor Strange)

i am, because we are.

~j

#WE #interdependence #family #community #Sangha #OurStory #interwoven #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #EngagedBuddhist #Zen #enso #JMWart

Practice is allowing everything in your life to wake you up.

~ Mirabai Bush

#practice #meditation #WakeUp #SitDownAndRiseUp #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #EngagedBuddhist #Zen #Buddhism #enso #JMWart

Well, maybe the end is upon you.

What then?

Repeat after me, it goes:

“I won’t stop loving.

I won’t stop loving.”

You don’t have to be perfect.

You don’t have to play well.

You don’t have to fix everything,

all by yourself.

…Repeat after me, it goes:

“I won’t stop loving.

I won’t stop loving.”

…The sun will still rise.

The sun will still rise.

~

Holcombe Waller

from song “Hardliners”

on album “Into the Dark Unknown”

*note: no relation to me as far as i know, but really great album! 👍🏻

#JustAsYouAre #OpenHeart #love #life #sunlight #light #hope #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #Zen #enso #JMWart