just this sitting…
Breath. Rises and falls.
Just this sitting. There is peace.
Sun shines and birds sing.
~j
Oh this life, this life!
“Buddha told a parable in a sutra:
A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another Tiger was waiting to eat him.
Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the fine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!”
~ a Zen parable as retold in the book, “Zen Flesh Zen Bones: A Collection of Zen and Pre-Zen Writings” compiled by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki
abundance…
“I see a fearless generosity in the flowers and trees, in the way birds sing out at dawn, in the steady drumming of the rain. As I grew older and found I had things to protect, I forgot. I completely forgot that I had always had enough in the first place. Now I am trying to learn this once again—total abundance, nothing begrudged.”
~ Sallie Tisdale
the experience of our life as it is…
“…disasters do happen and our pictures of how our life should be are blown away. Then we have a choice: do we face the disaster directly and make it our practice or do we run once again, learning nothing and compounding our difficulties? If we want a life that’s peaceful and productive, what do we need? We need the ability (which we learn slowly and unwillingly) to be the experience of our life as it is.”
~ Charlotte Joko Beck
meditation is a practice…
meditation is a practice
coming back to reality ~
here i am.
this is my breath coming in
and going out.
~j
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.
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.
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
just because…
Just because
you feel certain,
doesn’t mean you are in the right.
All of us can dance
Just because
you have heard the song of truth,
doesn’t mean you’ve got the only moves.
All of us can dance
and the floor is open to everyone.
So
Take a deep breath,
then another,
and sit down here
at this table of
communion and humility.
All you need to bring with you,
is your beautiful,
wounded heart
and
the willingness to listen…
the willingness to listen…
~j
Thich Nhat Hanh mantra…
Breathing in,
I see myself as a flower.
Breathing out, I feel fresh.
Breathing in,
I see myself as a mountain.
Breathing out, I feel solid.
Breathing in, I see myself as space.
Breathing out, I feel free.
~Thich Nhat Hanh
are we willing?
Are we willing to listen?
Are we willing to see?
Our response to suffering, whether in Nepal, or Baltimore, or the arguments presented to the Supreme Court on this day, reflects our humanity and our ability to look and listen beyond our own perspective and our own initial emotional responses, from a place that reflects our interdependence, our capacity for compassion, and service to the principle of alleviating this world from suffering from where we are in this moment, with what we have in this moment, and who we are in this moment.
#interdependence #compassion #WeAreOne #Presence #look #listen #serve #Nepal #Baltimore #Equality #wisdom #peace #Life #Love
Nepal Earthquake Relief…
please consider giving some assistance to Nepal and surrounding areas affected by this devastating earthquake, through a vetted, reputable charity. Charity Navigator is a wonderful resource to investigate.
I have chosen Global Giving. they are well regarded, working with local groups to affect relief and assistance fast with first responders, health and food aid and into the long term. they have set up a specific funding page for the Nepal earthquake. #Nepal #NepalEarthquake
http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/nepal-earthquake-relief-fund/
The Metta Garden 