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“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.”

~ Alice Walker

one of the most underappreciated powers we have is the power of our vote.

may 2024 be the year we collectively exercise this power for the benefit of all!

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#VOTE #Election2024 #VoteBlue2024 #HarrisWalz2024

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learning to stop and simply come back to our bodies and be with our breath is a super power.

even if it is just for a minute or two, or a few breaths, learn to hit the pause button. with practice we can find ourselves the still center of any storm that comes.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#JustStop #pause #breathe #meditate #meditation #path #practice #LilyTomlin #JinpaLhaga

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that so many have fully accepted the language of fascism is alarming. yet even more alarming, is that so many seem numb to this & are only mildly alarmed or not alarmed at all.

if we follow historical examples, this normalizing to the language of fascism sets the stage to normalize the acts of fascism, which bring immense harm & suffering.

as a Buddhist, we are called to tend to all who are and that is suffering in our world. this includes welcoming the immigrant, the refugee who is suffering. Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha himself along with his community, was regularly on the move as he shared the path to waking up, depending on the generosity & kindness of strangers. in the Sutta Nipata it is said, “As I am, so are these. As are these, so am I.” the Nirvana Sutra states, “By taking refuge…one’s mind should be free from hurting or harming others.”

as a Christian growing up, it was clear to me that Jesus himself was a refuge at birth & an itinerant preacher of the good news of God’s love, who himself was often rejected rather than accepted by this world. can the following biblical verses being any more clear?

“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”

~ Leviticus 19:33-34

(attributed to Moses)

“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me…Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of my brethren you did it to me.””

~ (Jesus in) Matthew 25:35, 40

this is a defining moment in our time, a clarion bell ringing, calling us to ourselves, to each other, to our world. how we respond will say everything about what we believe and how we love.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#NoFascism #Vote #VoteBlue2024 #HarrisWalz2024 #democracy #immigration #refugees #Buddha #Buddhism #Jesus #Christianity #OpenHeart #path #practice #JinpaLhaga

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“The earth is you. You are the earth. When you realize there is no separation, you fall completely in love with this beautiful planet.”

~Thich Nhat Hanh

individually & collectively we have seen the Earth & her resources as something to consume & use for what we view as our own needs as if we are separate from her. we often do the same with other people. it is a consumer mentality, a short term thinking & insatiable appetite (never having enough – the root of colonialism as well), that puts ourselves at the center of life rather than interdependent with all life. in doing so, without contemplating long term consequences, we have brought an end to some species & set the stage for the end of our own. thus far, the Earth has been able to support our overuse & abuse, but we are seeing her limits & the consequences. the bill has come due.

when we see the Earth as part of ourselves, when we are aware there is no separation in Life, we are seeing with the eyes of Love. when we see with the eyes of Love, our relationship to the Earth & to each other changes to one of beneficial healing & transformation. there is still time to avert the most dire consequences if action is taken now. we need proper science based, aware leadership to lead policy to make this happen.

please vote with this in mind.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#vote #earth #life #interdependence #ClimateChange #Election2024 #VoteBlue2024 #HarrisWalz2024

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peace is a seed

within our heart

that we water, nurture

and tend to with our love.

we practice calling it forth,

to rise out of the depths,

into the light and into

our words and actions.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#CeasefireNow #peace #OpenHeart #path #practice #heart #dove #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #art #calligraphy 

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friends!

just 19 days until the 2024 Election. early voting, mail in voting, & drop off are already underway in many states. why not vote early & encourage your circle to do the same? check out VOTE.org for more info!

ALSO still time to engage in other ways like donation support & get out the vote initiatives. 

LOVE. IN. ACTION.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#VOTE #Election2024 #VoteBlue2024 #HarrisWalz2024 

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ultimately, we have a choice, whether we respond to the world with fear or with love. fear shrinks us, reduces our options, can evoke paranoia & rigidity, & closes our eyes to the suffering of others.

love, on the other hand, opens our heart, widens our view, inspires hope & possibility, & includes all.

may we choose wisely in each moment of our lives in how we relate to each other & how we choose our leadership.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#LoveNotFear #Love #NoFear #OpenHeart #Hope #RamDass #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

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myself & so many i know have experienced much loss these past few years, deaths of loved ones, fur family, & friends. i want to offer/share this quote from Kahlil Gibran, that so beautifully, poetically, embraces what is so often avoided, but what can be accepted with generosity, grace, & always held in love.

these words have brought me comfort & i hope it does the same for all of you.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

*Kahlil Gibran was a Lebanese-American poet. Born in Bsharri, Lebanon in 1883, he was also known as a writer, essayist & visual artist. Many consider him a philosopher as well (a title he rejected). One of his most famous spiritual works is, The Prophet, a book i’ve always kept close since first reading it decades ago.

friends!

just 26 days until our 2024 Presidential election! our mail in ballots just arrived and we’ll be filling them out ASAP to drop off early.

do you have a plan? are you prepared and informed? are your family, friends, and neighbors registered?

it’s not too late to be engaged and involved. you can still make donations to support candidates who align with your values and who support democracy locally and across the nation. 

many states have already begun early voting. you can find them and other helpful information, including voting contingencies for hurricane impacted areas, at www.vote.org 

a #democracy is only as strong and resilient as its citizenry participates!

#VOTE

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

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even while some draw their power and energy from the dark and deluded spaces of fear, anger, bitterness, vengeance, and greed, may we who are aware draw our power, strength, and energy from love. love, the most ancient from beginningless time, unbound and tender. 

an incessant march towards war with its oppressive force, isn’t the flex some think it is.

may ours be one of open-heartedness, transformation, unity, and healing. reminding ourselves – my power is my love.

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#aggression #oppression #violence #war #peace #love #OpenHeart #path #practice #PlantingSeeds #SitDownRiseUp #JinpaLhaga #JMWart