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love IS work.

it’s the dirt beneath our nails work. the callouses on our feet work. the tired voice, but never too tired to listen work. love is work that we choose over & over again. it’s the narrow path, because it excludes no one. something we find almost impossible to not do. that’s the real sin, isn’t it? that we limit love, that we limit love’s capacity to hold & heal it all. so many prefer the judgement & criticism of self-created myth & manufactured purity over the gritty reality of grace, which is love. manufactured purity myth makes cruelty okay, maybe even righteous & celebrated. but that’s the easy way out, the way of non-work, spiritually lazy, harmful & destructive. how dare any of us limit love & exclude, push away, diminish others. we have no right to be so lazy – especially if we have ever felt love. but maybe the cruelest of us, haven’t felt loved, & our cruelty is our unhealed, unloved pain manifest. so there too, love is the answer. love IS work, the hardest work, the world without end work,  work beginning in our own heart first, the learning to love ourselves work, so we are then able to remind others that they too are sacred, worthy, & loved. doing so by loving them.

~j

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#LoveIsWork #LoveThyNeighbor #love #OpenHeart #work #service #practice #DianeKeaton #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

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friends!

the next NO KINGS Protest is this Sat, Oct 18th!

as w/ the last No Kings in June, it is expected that there will be thousands of peaceful protest/marches nationwide. despite the lies from the Admin, these are a wonderful opportunity to gather in community w/ other pro-democracy citizens to practice our 1st Amendment right to free speech & assembly, to practice love for our democracy & neighbors!

i’ve made 10 FREE high res downloadable Protest Posters using some of my new & existing art. they are available for download via public post on my Patreon (no need to be a patreon – this post & downloads are FREE for everyone)

https://www.patreon.com/posts/free-protest-141143810

or via Dropbox if you have an account there (a basic account is free) if you’d prefer to download there. 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ikch221mqrsd1sckbdmye/AP-2hYLIQ7oZSNo3e3TCShM?rlkey=tikzhzyq1kqnr1ribgxsuk9ti&st=c2da8vft&dl=0

hope these are a helpful contribution to the cause, which is why they are free! if you feel moved, any & all generosity is welcomed & appreciated BUT not necessary.

may all be safe, healthy, happy, at ease, & free from suffering. AND may democracy prevail.

~j

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#NoKings #NoKingsProtest #NoKingsMarch #democracy #ProDemocracy #SitDownRiseUp #MindfulResistance #LoveThyNeighbor #OpenHeart #FierceCompassion #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

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though empathy has come under attack recently (which really is crazy, isn’t it?!), the argument for the value & benefit of empathy in the light of all the cruelty & harm we are seeing could not be starker. we are seeing in real time what a lack of empathy looks like & the ripple effect this has on communities, our country, & the world. the rise of authoritarianism & fascism, ethnic cleansing & genocide, endless wars & all around oppression, is directly related to a decline in our valuing of empathy. yet our greatest spiritual teachers emphasize such heart quality. the Buddha, in the 10th chapter of the Dhammapada states, “All tremble at violence; life is dear to all. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.” this is empathy. Jesus, says in the gospels of Matthew & Luke “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. also in Matthew, Jesus states, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.” is not empathy necessary in each of these scenarios? personally, i see empathy as our superpower. it is the aspect of love that allows connection for love & space to love. my choice to engage the power of empathy is what allows me to maintain my sacred duty to love, my humanity, my dignity. it is what allows us to stay human instead of becoming monsters.

what does it say about those who choose otherwise?

~j

⭕️♥️🙏🏼

#empathy #OpenHeart #love #LoveThyNeighbor #bodhisattvas #JinpaLhaga #JMWart #calligraphy

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dear friends, as we steady ourselves, heading into what will no doubt be another week of (seemingly chaotic) harmful action by this administration, please remember to take care of yourselves as we continue to be engaged to the level we are able.

they want us overwhelmed, worn down, afraid, & surrendered in despair…but we don’t have to be. we, each of us in our own unique way, have what this moments needs to invite love, empathy, generosity, & compassion into each moment – & perhaps most importantly we have each other. loving into this moment, includes loving yourself.

~j

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#rest #rise #resist #love #selfcare #empathy #kindness #compassion #OpenHeart #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

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today was the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi. he’s been my favorite Saint since i was a kid. i’ve always felt drawn to him, intertwined w/ my love for nature. as this day draws to a close i’ve been thinking about how St. Francis is the perfect antidote icon of our current challenges. St. Francis aligned himself w/ the poor even though he came from wealth, he chose peace after having seen the ravages & despair of war, he saw Christ & the sacred in every person & every thing, & he saw the power in serving others. what a statement for those in power in our time! St. Francis lived as close as anyone has to the message of Jesus – which is in stark contrast to the Christian Nationalism we see today. St. Francis was a true bodhisattva, to use a Buddhist term, leaving no one out in his ministry to be in solidarity w/ & serve those who suffer. even his famous prayer below, reads similar to a bodhisattva vow.

may we all have hearts like St. Francis.

~j

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The Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.

#SaintFrancis #SaintFrancisOfAssis #FeastDayStFrancis #Fransiscans #OFM #Catholic #Christian #OpenHeart #service #love #peace #bodhisattva #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

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love is a re-orientation of our view. love is where we set & rest our attention, &  love is the only energy spacious enough to allow for the presence of fear, yet not allow it to stand in the way of serving, of helping, or healing where there is need. 

~j

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#view #attention #love #OpenHeart #fear #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

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if our commitment to serving, practicing, and being love in this world doesn’t move us to speak out on the harm we see, doesn’t move us into action to end the harm we see and reduce suffering in this world – especially when the harm and suffering are aimed at already marginalized communities from positions and systems of power – then it isn’t love that we are serving, committed to, or practicing. it is something else.

~j

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#love #service #practice #SitDownRiseUp #OpenHeart #empathy #FierceCompassion #bodhisattvas #JinpaLhaga #JMWart 

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my heart. i’m feeling this loss with sadness & immense gratitude for her life & her presence in this world. she was the subject of my very first book report in school as a child & the inspiration for a lifelong love & respect for animals & nature. for many years i had wanted to be a naturalist & then a vet. the world is better from having Jane in it & seems somehow less with her absence, especially at this challenging time. may the legacy of her open heart, her awareness, her empathy & wisdom continue to shine bright & inspire for generations to come.
bows of gratitude, dear Jane, may you enjoy well deserved rest in the fullness of love. ♥️🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

Posted @withregram • @janegoodalluk With deepest sorrow, we share the news that Dr. Jane Goodall, our founder, mentor, and friend, has passed away. 💔

Jane changed the way the world understands animals, people, and the natural world. From her groundbreaking discoveries at Gombe to her tireless work for conservation and peace, she inspired millions with her courage, compassion, and unwavering hope.

Her vision lives on through the Jane Goodall Institute and Roots & Shoots, in the countless young people she empowered, and in the hearts of everyone moved by her message: that every one of us has the power to make a difference. 🌍✨

Today is a profoundly sad day for the planet. But Jane’s light continues in all of us.

We invite you to share your memories, tributes, and reflections in her honour. Together, we will keep her legacy alive.

🕊️ Rest peacefully, Jane. Thank you for showing us the way

📸 Vincent Calmel

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those who are at the bottom, whether having fallen there or pushed there by society, can be our greatest teachers on how to love. providing opportunity to love, to open our heart & abandon selfishness, holding a mirror to the systems, structures, & priorities of a society who has forgotten the true value of life, its sacredness, its interdependence.

perhaps this is the great sin of Christian Nationalism that presents & promotes a warrior king Jesus of their own creation, who in their mind sanctifies aggression, violence, & relentless consumption & wealth at the cost of others’ wellbeing. rather than Jesus, the Christ, of the gospels who is presented as the suffering servant who defines the “other” as our neighbor, who seeks out those at the margins inviting them in, who prioritizes the poor & feeding the hungry, healing the sick, caring for the imprisoned, & raising from the depths of despair those who have been made to forget that they are worthy & beloved.

~j

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#Jesus #Christ #gospels #SufferingServant #poor #imprisoned #healing #LoveThyNeighbor #JohannBaptistMetz #JinpaLhaga #JMWart

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friends – 

though NSPM-7 will be contested in court, people across political ideologies should be concerned. is any criticism of policy, economic or otherwise, now considered extremist? is any criticism of ICE throwing elderly people to the ground or disappearing citizens considered extremist? if we are LGBTQ+ or believe in a woman’s bodily autonomy, are we being “hostile” to “those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, or morality”? is any legitimate opposition to the President or US policy, now considered an attempt at “overthrow”? you may think you’re safe because you have “Jesus follower” in your bio, but are you really safe based on the government’s idea of what a Christian is? do you follow the same Jesus as those in charge, are you the correct kind of Christian? perhaps, though it seems to me you aren’t if you follows Jesus’ teachings on the least of these & his criticism on religious elite & empire. who decides what is extremist today? tomorrow? when will you or your family, or friends fall out of the good graces of the leader simply because you have & act on empathy, kindness, compassion, love? fascism’s appetite is never satiated. now is the time to speak out of love & with love. now is the time to stand in solidarity with values that are democratic & the best of what we believe the US has been & could be, because we love our country, because we love our family & friends, because we are called to love our neighbor.

may our eyes see clearly, may our hearts open, & may we be instruments of love in this time.

~j

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#fascism #democracy #rights #clarity #love #OpenHeart #JinpaLhaga