TheLongArc

Happy 82nd Birthday to His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama…

~ jaysen ~ Leave a comment

Happiest of birthdays to His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama!

Grateful for his continued presence and his persistent message of compassion as the vehicle of resolving the world’s problems. I’ve had the pleasure of attending three of his public talks, one of which was for his 80th birthday. He turned 80 during the talk, so the whole auditorium sang him happy birthday. May he live in in good health for many years to come, continuing to be a light of compassion and peace.

~j
Every day, think as you wake up, “Today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.”

~

HH The 14th Dalai Lama

why wait?

~ jaysen ~ Leave a comment

Sooner or later life catches up with us and we come to the realization that there is no avoiding our problems, there is no running away from our demons, there is no going to war to win over this life or force our way through.  It never lasts.  There is nothing to grasp in desperation.  It only adds to the suffering in the world.

We come to realize, often through experiencing or bearing witness to suffering, that the only true option is to meet life with authenticity in all of its rawness with an open heart, right here in this moment.

Meditation is the practice of not waiting until later, but gently and persistently meeting life as it is and as we are in this moment.  Staying put.  meeting our demons with compassion and gentleness.  Moving beyond winning and losing.  Letting go.  Transforming suffering rather than transmitting suffering.  Then we have no need to go to war with ourselves, with others, with life.  Then we have peace.

~j

Independence Day

~ jaysen ~ Leave a comment

Happy Independence Day!!may our hearts be open to those within and outside our country. may we live up to the principles of freedom, equality and justice both in our personal interactions and our policies and laws. may we welcome the outsider as an insider with empathy and compassion, striving endlessly for peace.
#MeditateAndResist #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #July4th #IndependenceDay

healthcare…

~ jaysen ~ Leave a comment

a healthy and happy life should not be a privilege given only to a few, whether based on wealth or some distinction declared by temporary gatekeepers of some temporary political power.
it is abundantly clear that the current Republican Administration and Congress are not pro life in any authentic turning of the phrase.
your power is your voice and your actions. may they be heard and seen. ~j CALL your senators about #AHCA. (202) 224-3121. #healthcare
#empathy #compassion #courage #MeditateAndResist #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #TheResistance #AHCA

know who you are…

~ jaysen ~ Leave a comment

in the thick of things, the darkness and difficulty, don’t forget who you are. you are Love, luminous and open.meet life with empathy, with compassion, and the steady, purposeful, and unshakable strength that comes from being grounded in Love.

~j
[…if you want a master class in what happens when we allow our wounds to close up and drag us into a bitter anger, and then what happens when this is met with empathy, compassion, and courage, watch the end scenes of Moana. be a healer. meet life with empathy, compassion and courage grounded in Love.]

how to live…

~ jaysen ~ Leave a comment


if not all of us, but even most of us could abide by this philosophy…
may it be so and may it begin with each of us.

~j
#BodhisattvaVow #bodhisattvas #bodhicitta #empathy #compassion #FierceCompassion #MeditateAndResist #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #LoveWins #Shantideva #Buddhism #Metta

may we be free of aggression and violence…

~ jaysen ~ Leave a comment

goodness, the violence. i don’t know the details, but may all be safe.

we must stand firm in our resolve to not succumb to aggression and violence as a resolution to even our most passionate disagreements. and we must avoid the temptation to quickly politicize and use aggression, violence, or any tragedy to advantage an agenda.

may we remember who we are, our interdependence. my we listen and try to get to the root of anger that it may be transformed and healed rather than transmitted, giving birth to more anger, aggression, and violence.

may we all be remedies to suffering, not causes.

~j
#interdependence #nonaggression #nonviolence #LoveWins #PlantingSeeds #TheLongArc #peace #TheResistance #MeditateAndResist #TheMettaGarden