Blog PostsFriends | BlogLiving a Life of CompassionLiving a Life of Compassion Compassion is one of the principal things that make our lives meaningful. —H. H. the Dalai Lama, “Consider Yourself a Tourist” Breathe with Your Whole BodyBreathe with Your Whole Body To better understand how to breathe with the conscious participation of the whole body, nothing is more helpful than to recognize that, in a deeply relaxed body, the force of breath can cause the entire body to remain in a state of subtle, constant, fluid motion. —Will Johnson, "Breath Moves Body" Creating a Balanced and Accepting MindCreating a Balanced and Accepting Mind Equanimity is not insensitivity, indifference, or apathy. It is simply nonpreferential. Under its influence, one does not push aside the things one dislikes or grasp at the things one prefers. The mind rests in an attitude of balance and acceptance of things as they are. —Sayadaw U Pandita, "A Perfect Balanc Reveal Your True SelfReveal Your True Self Usually, it takes a few—or a number of—meditation sessions sitting with the agitated mind before the true self appears. But with each session the fog lifts a bit more. —Joan Duncan Oliver, "The Sound of Silence" Seeing the Interconnectedness of All BeingsSeeing the Interconnectedness of All Beings To see into the interconnectedness of all living things is to see how all living things are part of a unified field that contains all, and at the same time to see that this entire field is embodied by each being. —Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, “The Need of the Hour” Love Is The Water Of LifeLove Is The Water Of Life _ 2020 _ One of our dearest poets, a voice for the ages, Rumi, wrote those words as the title of his poem, “Love is the Water of Life.” It speaks to an agony Of the spirit that is universal to all who advance To meet death without seizing the Water of Life. _ Today I want to tell you a little about the fears of Rejection that are common to us all, as we yearn, Within, to grasp the love that is the Water of Life. _ Those fears of rejection are native to each of us, For, after all, we are just simple organisms, short Lived, and fearful of most change we can’t control. And even when we think we can control changes, It’s just a dearly held illusion, to assuage our fears. _ And now, as we, in our multitudes try to shelter Safely at home to escape a virus that lives in the Very air we need to breathe, and hides, invisibly, On the surfaces we’d never even think about, our Chances to seize the Water of Life before we too Sicken and possibly die, seem to be getting fewer. As, in each new, lonely morning, we hear the stats Of new infections, and the losses of many a one’s Dear departed loved ones, multiplied yet again. _ I’d like to offer what may seem less than it is, A simple panacea for all of us who may never Get to hold onto and quench our deepest thirsts With the Water of Life. Love wears many guises, Some are worn and torn through hard lessons of Love ripped and then brutally rejected ; some are Colourful but faded and soft like silk, signs of Old loves tested again and again as being true; _ And some are nearly diaphanous because they Aren’t meant to be seen. Because, you see, The wearers of such thin garments care little For themselves but their hearts come near to Bursting when they come upon the suffering Of the weak and old, or those who do without; _ So they try in the best ways they can, to offer Kind words, money, warm food and clothes. And when they see their neighbors sicken and Then die, their hearts cry tears of compassion. _ I’m pretty sure in my humble self, that Rumi, The great master of loving poetic verse, himself, Would agree that if we can’t have the Water of Life in your own lives, at least not right now, The least you and I can do is, to offer the best Parts of ourselves, how ever we can, to those Who desperately need The Water of Life now. _ What Can Inspire Your Practice?What Can Inspire Your Practice? Experience is the seed of aspiration, the deeply rooted commitment to know. That aspiration then drives one into the difficult and transformative realm of spiritual pursuit, into the realm of practice. —Adam Frank, “In the Light of Truth” Waking Up on Your OwnWaking Up on Your Own The Buddhist prohibition against intoxicants isn’t about bad drugs versus good drugs. It’s about learning to wake up on your own. —Brad Warner, “The Enlightenment Pill” Love Always Lies Between The StarsLove Always Lies Between The Stars _ 2020 _ Dreams of love are like dreams of the stars. Seemingly far, far away in galaxies we can Only glimpse, yet ever present in the warmth Of a lover’s gaze, or the laughter of a child. _ Therein lies our greatest challenge. For now We are entering an era where dreams of love Must be set aside. Nothing less than heartfelt Love can serve us now, or in uncertain futures. _ A wise man once opined that the only thing That ever endured, unchanged, was change itself. We shouldn’t welcome such sudden uncertainty, But neither should we allow it to diminish love. _ I get a sense that in these scary times, when any Of us could suddenly fall ill and die, a new sense Of appreciation for human love and kindness will Take root and grow everywhere there are people. _ I hope I’ll live to see it and feel it, and I also Hope you’ll stay well and live to experience It. Imagine, a worldwide outpouring of love. Imagine how energized the survivors will be. _ Break the Cycle of ReactionBreak the Cycle of Reaction When there is no attachment or identification with thoughts and feelings, there is no reactive push into action creating more doing, more karma. … We get to the point where our acts are not done out of attachment but instead are just done as they’re done, and no new stuff is being created. —Ram Dass, “Karmuppance” |