Tag: compassion

Where Do We Choose to Take Our Rest?

There was a story recently in our local newspaper. A man who had lost his son was asked to speak at the trial of the man accused of killing him.

Everyone following had expected to hear words of condemnation and hate. They assumed the grief far too great for any one man to bear.

And yet, when the time came for the man to address the court he looked directly into the eyes of the accused and said, “I forgive so that someday you may forgive yourself.” He then hugged him and whispered, ‘Do good things.’

Imagine the strength of this beautiful soul honoring the love of a child through his own debilitating pain. Through the blurred veil of tears, he recognized the wounds of another. In this moment, he wished only to console.

Could you or I effect the same?

Just as the wave crashes, it also recedes. And, asking nothing in return – it washes away all traces of impact. As we stand at its edges, we find peace in its roar.

Forgiveness is, I believe, within the nature of all living creatures. It binds itself to a continuity of peace, opening our wounds to the furthest reaches of a newfound hope. Is it faith? Is it belief?

In the end, we must ask ourselves – where do we wish to take our rest?

In the company and service of others? Or locked within the calcifications of pain?

It is not only our choice, my friends – it is our humanity.

Namaste ❤️

The Benefit of Our Humanity.

In the stress of our daily lives, we often forget our perspective; that need to understand this moment just as it is – with a context deserving of its essence.

What we feel and desire, though relatively important, are but a smaller part of a far more extensive ‘whole’. As we contemplate the rhetoric of world news feeds, we must take measures to protect the inherent vulnerability maintained within its depths – the will of all people and our preservation of humanity.

This simple practice enables us to engage the very heart of our spiritual teaching; to share, in service, without precondition. We do not seek to impress, rather we offer ourselves fully to whatever might happen next.

We don’t attack, and we certainly can’t predict. What we can do is share our presence and experience, to offer a pause in the space of reaction.

While ‘we can’t fix the world’, we can define our interaction with it – to protect and to respond to the very essence of all human need.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

That Which We Choose, We Give.

This morning, I’d like to share with you one of my favorite passages from the poet, William Butler Yeats. Though simple in construct, it offers an invaluable insight into the bodhisattva’s courage:

“We can make our minds so like still water,” he writes. “that beings gather about us to see their own images,
and so live for a moment with a clearer,
perhaps even with a fiercer life because of our silence.”

As we look out into the conflicts of this world, it’s easy to see how our emotions might be triggered. Through the subtleties of our daily interactions to the grander scale of unfathomable visions, as humans we are prone to reaction; a response often formulated within the roots of compassion.

There are many aspects to compassion, some that we know quite well. Whether a gentle softening of heart or a profoundly visceral response, compassion evokes a call to action…a response equitable to the emotions we feel.

Sometimes, this action conveys a positive influence. We might reach forward to comfort a crying child, or offer food to a local homeless shelter. In this case, compassion invokes a positive influence.

But, what of the other ‘side’?

Imagine witnessing a gross injustice. How did it make you feel? You may have been drawn to an outburst of anger, which (believe it or not) can be similarly rooted in compassion.

Yet, what is it that defines the two? It is quite literally the line between ‘self’ and ‘selfless’. In the former, we are guided by the tone of ‘why me?’. While, in I’m the latter, we ask ‘what can I do?’.

You see, compassion can take on many uniquely compelling forms. Like
Avalokiteshvara (the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion) with a thousand outstretched arms – each embracing a different instrument or tool. What matters most is our intention; rather, how do we adapt compassion to attract new light.

In stillness, we find the answer: to engage towards a clearer vision. In the end, that which we choose – we give.

In peace, my sweet friends…

Namaste ❤️

Serving the Betterment of Spirit.

There’s a lot going on in the world today. On a political level, our nation is divided as we struggle amidst the impassioned rhetoric of each opposing party.

Worse yet, we are becoming further isolated from our friends and family abroad, a loftier fear replacing our need to be ‘as one’.
Meanwhile, ‘self’ secures the shadow where the seeds of compassion once grew.

Abraded by our present surroundings, we become slightly less tolerant. Conditions which once evoked empathy, now provoke reaction.

And, where does that leave us, my friends? Have we made better, so we love deeper – or, have we simply fallen deeper into the well?

Likewise, how much of our reaction is based in truth rather than what we anticipate?

A dear friend once commented that we react to that which we fear. Instinctively we prepare for ‘battle’, drawing inward as we ‘bare our teeth.’

And in this polarized ‘fight to the finish’ we lose what makes us human: faith in that which stands higher still, and a compassion unwilling to concede to such influences.

Coming together is never a loss, my loves – rather, each and every action serves the betterment of spirit.

A little something to consider, my friends ~

In peace…

Namaste ❤

The Legacy of Good.

I remember a segment on the news growing up – ‘Hometown Heroes’, I believe it was called – shared nightly, just before bed.

It was intended to highlight the achievements of our community organizers – individuals singularly responsible for effecting a positive change.

As a family, we looked forward to hearing these miraculous stories – our hearts inevitably uplifted at the benefit of such ample kindness. And in the days following, our community was likewise encouraged.

Shopkeepers donated parcels of groceries to local churches and homeless shelters; businessmen offered the benefit of their services as government officials pledged their unwavering support.

Even the schoolchildren were eager to partake, sharing their milk money to those in ‘dire need.’

In those days, we talked about the ‘needs of the community’ and the ‘benefit of good neighbors.’ We didn’t allow our political affiliations, personal beliefs or social class dissuade from our ability to come together.

We did the ‘right’ thing, simply because ‘right’ was what needed to be done.

Though, these days the news seems sadly to have changed. Our hometown heroes have been replaced by a far more lucrative byline – one built upon a faulty presumption of fear.

But, what is it that keeps us here? What binds our view to such an ill-fated destiny?

Yes, the world is filled with pain, uncertainly and injustice. Though, it is also filled with the miraculous stories of ‘one single heart, rising above.’

And, in the end, isn’t it what we choose? That is, to shut out the world or to encourage the legacy of good.

In peace…

Namaste ❤

A Question of When.

It isn’t enough to be just. Rather, we must practice justice in all that we are and do.

For equanimity is predicated on a basis of neutrality, and a willingness to encourage the efficacy of our human condition.

To that end, the question is not merely a recognition of need; it is also a catalyst for the cultivation of action.

And, leaving only the question of ‘when’.

A little some to consider, my loves ~

In peace…

Namaste ❤

The Lesson of Some.

There’s a young man who waits at the bus stop each day; short in stature, though quite tall in spirit.

He’s taken the task of watching over, ensuring each child may stand without worry. “Do you have enough lunch money,” he’ll ask without a moment’s pause, dipping into his own pockets to ensure all might have some.

At just 11 years old, he’s developed a connection deeper than those twice his age.

If you ask him ‘why’, he’ll answer ‘because’. Though, those of us who know understand there’s more to that story.

His mother had been diagnosed with a glioblastoma, a highly aggressive and typically incurable form of brain cancer. Early into her treatment, his father filed for divorce leaving the majority of home responsibility squarely upon this then 9 year old’s shoulders.

He did without, for a long while until a classmate took note. “You can have mine,” she smiled, pushing her bag across the table. It was the first bit of food he’d had in 2 days. Afterwards, she approached a counselor at the school, “No one should go without,” she said. “Everyone should have some.”

From that moment on, the community banded together – offering car rides and house cleanings and home made dinners. We all worked together because one of us had none, vowing never again to lose connection with our neighbors.

Eventually, a relative learned of her circumstances – flying in immediately to ensure the young man’s care.

Can you imagine facing so much at such an early age? Not only did this young man ensure, he found the means to rise above – and this lesson of community serves him to this day.

“Do you have enough,” he asks of yet another running behind.

Because no one should go without while others still have some.

A little something to consider, my loves…

In peace…

Namaste ❤

That Which We Share.

Mother Teresa once reminded of the capacity of a true and giving love; sharing that we mustn’t mistake this gift of heart as a ‘single drop’ and nothing more.

Though humanity’s waters are vast, they are not without cause. Even that which seems insignificant by comparison, we must trust serves a greater bond.

“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not there, I think the ocean would be less in missing it…”

The truth is that we never really know how a single act may impact the whole. I myself could recount a hundred stories born on the wings of kindness and gratitude.

Because…

What we give inevitably returns to us albeit in different form.

Someone once asked me why I ‘bother to write’. “If not for you, then who?” he mocked, hoping to dissuade the action from its intention.

“I write for everyone,” I answered simply in return, “and, such that no one should ever question whether or not they are loved.”

What we give is of impact, I promise you, my loves. And, that which we share – of infinite value.

In peace…

Namaste ❤

To Nurture What is Needed.

I once planted a peony bush against the back garden wall. I had high hopes for its heartiness, imagining blooms the size of dinner plates. And, the fragrance – yes! Upon a late summer’s eve, a whisper of sweetness creating a perfection of compliment to the midnight moon’s glow.

For days, then weeks into months I watched. Yet, nothing happened; no change occurred. I added fertilizer, then watered until the soils were soaked. Though, the blooms never came and the plant eventually died.

You see, I had assumed that all plants require the same things to grow. However, we must learn to nurture in the way that is needed.

So often we do, thinking ‘it must be this.’ We fail to respond within the context of true service.

In this space, we realize the courtesy of being human. Where unconditionality moves to the point of transcendence.

Though countless years have passed since that first peony failed to take root, trust the lesson has been learned and the garden now flourishes.

In peace..

Namaste ❤️

Bridging the Gulf Between.

“One of the great tragedies of life is that men seldom bridge the gulf between practice and profession, between doing and saying.” the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once shared. “A persistent schizophrenia leaves so many of us tragically divided against ourselves.”

On one hand, we wish to preserve the integrity of our moral code…to raise the collective voice of faith, hope and reason. At heart, we know that we are one human family.

And, yet? How often our deeds may fail.

We hesitate in this space of fear, our hearts tightening as we struggle with the magnitude of the events and circumstances surrounding. Though we may wish for change, we question our ability to serve as a catalyst for it.
“How can one voice create a lasting impact?” we might ask.

In the end, the only way to know is to do. To stand for that which compels our purpose – to water the seeds of compassion and courage.

Even when the toxicity of another is great, we mustn’t allow their poison to confuse.

“The hope of a livable world,” he writes. “lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.”

A little something to consider, my loves…

In peace…

Namaste ❤️