This is what we’ve been practicing for: the situations where the practice doesn’t come easily. When the winds of change reach hurricane force, our inner refuge of mindfulness, concentration, and discernment is the only thing that will keep us from getting blown away.
~
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
#practice #meditation #change #refuge #mindfulness #concentration #discernment #grounded #steady #presence #JMWart
Only with a calm, clear mind can you be a force of healing in the world, free from your own suffering, and liberate those in pain. ~ Kino MacGregor
(breathing in)
Calm Body
(breathing out)
Calm Mind
~Thich Nhat Hanh
#healer #healing #CalmBody #CalmMind #calm #meditation #practice #bodhisattva
when the narrative is dark and foreboding, when the banner of fear is waved gathering the masses under it, and what is said divides us, denying our interdependence – look to nature to regain your balance. sit with her, resting in her silence, aligning yourself with the Way, and remember there is always Light.
sitting with stars…
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
#zen #stars #sun #moon #sky #light #nature #wisdom #balance #sittingwithstars #sittingwithstars2016
Sitting quietly,one minute, one hour, no matter,
finding the quiet within
I find myself again and again.
Finding myself, I offer the quiet light
to those on the street, in the office,
all around me.
To the lost and suffering beings, to the
bewildered
and questioning,
even to the bare tree with its leafless
branches filled with chirping sparrows.
~ Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara
gorgeous moon tonight. seeing her beauty reminded me of a favorite Zen story…
enjoy
~j
Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing in it to steal.
Ryokan returned and caught him. “You may have come a long way to visit me,” he told the prowler, “and you shoud not return emptyhanded. Please take my clothes as a gift.”
The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away.
Ryokan sat naked, watching the moon. “Poor fellow,” he mused, “I wish I could give him this beautiful moon.”
#moon #zen #parables #Ryokan #beauty #JMWart #TheMettaGarden
hello friends!
for those who may not know already, i’m participating in Sharon Salzberg’s 28 Day Meditation program, Real Happiness. it is free and beneficial to those just starting their meditation practice and also for those of us who have been meditating but can use a nice refresher or perhaps a refining of skillfulness in our practice (that’s me for sure!)
today’s meditation focus was Hearing Meditation. i probably won’t write on this meditation challenge daily due to other commitments and lack of time, but I wanted to share a phrase that came up in yesterday’s guided meditation (Breathing Meditation), the first day of the challenge. i keep coming back to Sharon’s wonderful phrase in the meditation, “It’s just one breath.”
breath by breath we build a practice.
i think it so perfectly and beautifully describes the grace of this practice. what a wonderful mantra to hold in our hearts and share. I came back to the phrase again last night and was inspired to paint an Enso with the phrase.
if you wish to participate in the Real Happiness 28 Day Meditation Challenge, you can still sign up until February 6th! just go to Sharon’s website, www.sharonsalzberg.com
wishing you wellness and happiness on this journey!
~j
February 2nd 2016
“patterns”JMW 2015
ink & acrylic on paper
w/ digital editing and filters
“They make a wasteland they call it peace.”
~ Tacitus
#war #violence #aggression #patterns #HistoryRepeats #LearnFromThePast #peace #art #JMWart #JMW #patterns #TheMettaGarden
not everything is a crisis.be still.
even as the world spins around you,
be still.
~j
#BeStill #Stillness #JustSit #meditation #peace #NotEverythingIsACrisis #life
The Metta Garden 