the monk and the warlord…

dear ones ~

i recently read that gun sales were up triple in 2011 of what they were in 2010. what does this say?

who are we arming ourselves against?

what are we arming ourselves against?

i am reminded of one of my favorite Zen stories…it is as follows:

A village was warned that a vicious warlord and his soldiers were coming to destroy the town, so they all fled. All except one old monk, that is, who stayed meditating in the temple. When the warlord came in and saw him, he drew his sword, pointed it at his heart and said angrily, “Don’t you know I can run you through without batting an eye?!” The old monk looked up at him and calmly replied, “And don’t you know that I can be run through without batting an eye?” The warlord bowed before the presence of this old monk and left. Such courage, composure, and non-attachment can be ours.

namaste, dear friends.

peace to you as we wake up to this spacious and available place of nonviolence and no fear – as we wake up to who we are!

~ j

August 28, 2012

a letter to Aurora…

a letter to Aurora…

to all those who are suffering from this horrific tragedy in Aurora, our prayers are with you. to all those who are suffering from their own personal tragedies in this life, our prayers are with you. we are connected in our suffering, in our pain, in our confusion as to how such violence can occur. we are connected in these dark moments of life, where our hearts break and our minds spin with emotion, we are connected in our sense of loss as life seems to have lost all that is good.

it is important to feel these emotions, to sit with these emotions. to be where we are at, to grieve. so many of us, in our confusion, our pain, our anger are running from this horrible event. it isn’t easy to sit with tragedy, to be awake with suffering. it is far easier (and even feels good to have some brief relief) to blame. to blame the existence of guns, to blame a broken system, to blame a single individual who has forgotten what it means to be human, to be connected in life and love. and there too, we connect. we connect into groups with missions and we feel some brief relief as we find a place to place our anger, our pain, our suffering…forgetting our truer connection, that we are One.

but there is another way we are connected. we are connected in our Light, in our Love, in Life.

so as we sit in this darkness, in this night of tragedy and pain, let us look to Aurora itself. Aurora means “dawn”…the coming of day. that sacred, beautiful time when the night moves from twilight to day.

there is pain here. there is confusion and anger. but, my friends, there is also hope. the day will come again and with it the sun, shining bright the light of love and life. the Light that lives in all of us – both passed and still present, and the Love that connects us – whether we have passed or are present, whatever may come.

wishing peace and freedom from suffering for us all.

namaste ~ j

Friday, July 20th 2012

the only truth we have…

the only truth we have…

all is empty

waves come and gone

suns risen and set

worlds end
even
as new ones begin

all of what i know
is that i don’t
really
know

whether the stars
are here
or
gone tomorrow

even as if they
are
gone today

and may be

in some
tomorrow

all i really see
are distant memories
and futures
yet to manifest

but i am here
in this moment
in this
breath

so

breathe with me
my love

and

let our hearts beat
this once
together in rhythm

together
in the harmony
of right now

the only truth we have

by jaysen matthew waller
©2010 Jaysen Matthew Waller

it is good…

beneath this blanket
of night

below countless suns
i stand in your Presence

thoughtless
motionless

we arrive
together
meeting, perhaps
as we always
have

in Love

filled with Life
i stand

knowing nothing

in perfect stillness
in a harmonic dance
with Peace

and my voice
joins with Yours
as we sing

“it is good”

this moment…

 

it is here

it is all here

with its tastiness
with all there is to see
to smell
surrounded in sounds
it touches me…

it teaches me

it is here – this moment
with all its pain
with all its joy

there is no suffering

i smile to it – this moment
it is here

this is Life

sweet, sweet Life
and i swim naked in
its beauty

there is a home…

 

there is a home
beyond where i was born
deeper still
than where i live now

how do i return there…
to return to the present?

the Way, my friends
is Love
the Path, dear ones
is Understanding and Compassion

let us journey together
for we have never really been apart
and
truly we have no where to go