hello friends!

it’s #GivingTuesday!  although there are many causes and organizations close to my heart and that i donate to throughout the year, i’d like to put a spotlight on three organizations who regularly and without favor go directly to the suffering caused by tragedy and conflict, helping people, in devastating circumstances, with the most basic and fundamental of needs – food, healthcare, and shelter.

World Central Kitchen, Doctors Without Borders, and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) really exemplify unbiased empathy and compassion, which is love in action and the foundations of peace.

please consider these incredible organizations in your generosity.

may hearts open and wisdom arise in our world to the benefit of us all.

~j

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#WorldCentralKitchen #DoctorsWithoutBorders #InternationalRescueCommittee #IRC #hunger #healthcare #shelter #refugees #war #congflict #empathy #compassion #love #OpenHearts #generosity #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #photography

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“I call on anyone who has the capacity to amplify messages of light, of love, of peace, of connection, of unity, of remembering that we are one family, we are one race. And if we can do that, we will create a better world together.”

~ Moshe Gersht

who’s in?

~j

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#light #love #peace #connection #unity #OpenHeart #path #practice #MosheGershtQuotes #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #art #PhotoArt #photography

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ethics are at the forefront of the Buddhist path. this is sometimes forgotten w/ so much emphasis on meditation & the mindfulness movement, but ethics are a cornerstone to practice & the path which is ultimately about embodying love & reducing/ending suffering. Buddhists often take vows in this regard. for non-monastics, the Five Precepts, are the focus. these aren’t commandments as much as guidelines for living an ethical life & they include: abstaining from killing living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct or harm, lying or false speech, & intoxication (mindlessness).

these can sound like a strict moral code, but ultimately they are about living our lives in a way that doesn’t harm others or ourselves & are flexible to interpretation to a degree. they are considered training, a form of practice & are even called “the five rules of training”. Zen Master, Vietnamese Buddhist & peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh refers to them as “The Five Mindfulness Trainings” & has written his own interpretation/commentary on them. his approach is much more nuanced & comprehensive, tackling in the First Precept, for instance, what does it mean to “kill” and extending the meaning to include harming.

~j
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here’s his interpretation/commentary:

THE FIRST MINDFULNESS TRAININGS

“Reverence for Life”

Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I am committed to cultivating the insight of interbeing and compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to support any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, or in my way of life. Seeing that harmful actions arise from anger, fear, greed, and intolerance, which in turn come from dualistic and discriminative thinking, I will cultivate openness, non-discrimination, and non-attachment to views in order to transform violence, fanaticism, and dogmatism in myself and in the world.
~
Thich Nhat Hanh

#TheFivePrecepts #TheFiveMindfulnessTrainings #FirstMindfulnessTraining #NoKilling #Nonharming #ThichNhatHanh #Love #ethics #mindfulness #Path #Practice #OpenHeart #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #ZenCalligraphy #art

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Norman Fischer shares an insightful perspective on the essence of spiritual practice.

He suggests that all virtues ultimately serve the greater principles of love and compassion.

These are not difficult concepts to grasp or appreciate.

Indeed, when asked about what truly matters, individuals from all walks of life typically cite connection, compassion, and love.

This universal agreement underscores the profound beauty and power of these innate human qualities.

So, it’s worth remembering that amidst the complexity and grandeur of our lives, it all distills down to simple truths: Love and compassion are at the core of our existence.

In the end, they are what truly matter.

Check out our profile for our free daily newsletter “Daily Dharma” to start your morning off on a positive note with a quick hit of Buddhist wisdom.

With Norman Fischer @norman.fischer.779

Training in Compassion – 2016

Watch the full video at tricycle.org/ dharmatalks

#Buddhism #Compassion #Love

#SpiritualPractice

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each breath and rising sun, a gift, a fresh start to begin anew.

so much to be grateful for. 

may our gratitude be a place of practice, and inspiration for a path of generosity, of helping others and reducing suffering in our world.

a grateful heart is an open heart.

grateful for all of you, friends!!

~j

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#Thanksgiving2023 #gratitude #OpenHeart #generosity #path #practice #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #enso #calligraphy #art

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for a number of years, but especially now with all that’s happening, i’ve been leaning into the aware, wise, and open-hearted words of some progressive rabbis. Rabbi Jill Jacobs being one of them. 

lasting peace and security can only happen when all lives are valued without discrimination, when the priority is safety and well being for all people. it’s not something that can be terrorized into, and it’s not found through a path paved in bombs. it won’t arrive with the elimination of the “other”. 

we must rise above the worst impulses of some, rather than descending into mutual destruction.

we’ll know we have arrived when there are no strangers among us, when we awaken from our ignorance and we recognize our interdependence as the family we already, truly are.

may hearts open, may wisdom arise, may compassion prevail.

~j

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#Israel #Palestine #Gaza #peace #compassion #wisdom #OpenHeart #path #practice #JinpaLhaga #RabbiJillJacobs

Although the wind

blows terribly here,

the moonlight also leaks

between the roof planks

of this ruined house.

~

Izumi Shikibu

what is it that causes or allows, even in darkness and destruction, such light and beauty to still make itself known?

i call it love.

~j

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#IzumiShikibuQuotes #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #art #moon #light #beauty #love

It takes a tremendous amount of emotional and spiritual maturity to witness in full force the collective shadow of humanity and keep your heart open.

~

Roshi Joan Halifax

stay open. it is our strength and gift to the world.

~j

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#BearWitness #OpenHeart #path #practice #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #RoshiJoanHalifax

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during this fraught time, when we are being asked & pressured to take sides on whose lives & whose suffering is worthy of our attention & empathy, how we define “all beings” can make a difference. it’s worthy of our time to ask ourselves this question.

1200 Israeli lives ended

240+ hostages waiting

11,000 Palestinian lives in Gaza ended

200+ Palestinian lives in West Bank ended

hate, terrorism, vengeance, war, violence take a terrible toll on the innocent. the horrific loss of children inflicts an endless wound on the hearts of mothers & fathers regardless of geography, ethnicity, or religion.

push back with all the love in your heart against the pressure to choose whose suffering is deserved & whose is not, whose suffering is accepted as “resistance” & whose is accepted as “collateral damage”.

we can love & wish for the security, safety, well-being & peace of Jews & Israelis, & still be critical of Netanyahu & the Israeli government’s military actions, policies toward Gaza & West Bank, & call out anti-Arab & Islamophobic rhetoric.

we can love & wish for the security, autonomy, safety, well-being & peace of Palestinians in Gaza & West Bank, & still stand against the terrorism of Hamas & rise in anti-Semitism.

the dualism embodied in Hamas’ hate filled nihilistic ideology, or Netanyahu’s (career long) refusal of a two state solution, marginalization of Palestinians & embrace of unfettered settlements will not bring peace. the result is a continuous dark cloud of conflict & suffering over the innocent.

so, regularly asking ourselves how we define “all beings” can be a beneficial practice, a way of bringing us back to our heart through all the noise. who we consider “all beings” has real world consequences. are we adding to the healing or the suffering of our world?

may hearts open, may wisdom arise.

~j

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#Israel #Jews #Gaza #Palestinians #suffering #violence #terrorism #war #OpenHeart #empathy #compassion #MettaSutta #JinpaLhaga #BuddhaQuotes

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Feeling compassion

is not the end of the path.

The next step is love in action.

~ Devin Berry

amazing. what grace is this that we have within us, within this very heart, in all of its vulnerability and tenderness, the  tremendous strength, bravery, and resilience needed to embody love into this world, to bring healing and peace to this world in spite of all the ignorance, fear, aggression and destruction…if we are willing to. if we are willing to feel, if we are willing to do something.

may we awaken, may our hearts open, may wisdom arise, and may the world benefit from our presence and love.

~j

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#embodiment #love #compassion #healing #peace #OpenHeart #path #practice #EngagedBuddhism #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #art #enso #ZenEnso #calligraphy #DevinBerryQuotes