Tag: Tolerance

The Path to Twitter Peace.

This morning as I was driving to work a young woman swerved recklessly into my lane. My first response was a knee-jerk reaction, to move quickly out of the way. Followed, in turn, by anger. Did she not see me? What was she thinking? Couldn’t she have been more careful?

I didn’t know this woman, nor could I have possibly understood her circumstances. Maybe, she was ill? Or, perhaps there was a fault with the car? So many factors to consider, though – nonetheless, in that split second she became a threat.

As she drove away (and all were confirmed safe), that should have been the end of it. Yet, there was a certain sense still lingering – the sting of reaction in response to our fear.

Though the two often appear inseparable, there is a profound delineation. Reaction, empowering our view of ‘self’ and response, measuring our love of all else.

We are defined not by our moments, but rather our response to them. The late for work panicked rush, the spilled coffee and inconsiderate drivers.

As the Buddha taught, we should strive to be liberated from – not bound to – our anger. “In this world, hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed.”

And yet, as I sift through the headlines and Twitter feeds this morning I am struck by our recklessness towards it. We have established this global platform to raise awareness, though sadly – it’s being utilized to wage war.

Just as the young woman swerving into traffic, our first instinct is to react – to blast the horn, to scream and shout. But, what does that gain in the end? Equanimity, tolerance and engaged compassion? Or, the substance for further divide?

Jack Kornfield writes,

“In our hardships, we discover the courage not to succumb, not to retreat, not to strike out in fear and anger. And by resting in a non-contentious heart we become a lamp, a medicine, a strong presence; we become the healing the world so dearly needs.”

In peace, my sweet friends…

Namaste ❤️

Remembering Our Love.

I went for a ride in the car last night, a brief outing in the days following my surgery. I’d wanted the benefit of cool, evening air – the scent of sweet grass and wild honeysuckle serving a wondrous elixir.

Sadly though, something else was there. My mind shifted to the images of brutality; a ‘sentence’ served at the hands of injustice. It was intended to be a peaceful demonstration; though, if that were the case then why were they armed?

Torches lit the faces of a malignant racism. Thousands poured into the streets like a ravenous snake though the crowds. “Blood and soil,” they shouted. As if the value of a man were theirs to secure.

American journalist, Dan Rather writes, “It defies reason to even write of such a thing.” Though, here we are – again, with newer lines being drawn.

In grade school I learned of man’s inhumanity to man, and – not wanting to believe, turned the other way. “They were men, just like us,” my uncle’s words rang clear as he recounted the horror of the Nuremberg trials.

I caught myself, for a brief moment as I looked into the face of a passerby, “I wonder if they think like them,” as a chill hit my spine.

That’s how it begins – fear first, then hate. But, that’s not what this world needs. This world needs our love more.

Though, how do we find peace amongst the blood curdling screams? In part, by asking – what do I wish more?

In this space, there are no sides – just one. One breath, one life – one collective human heart.

And, whereas – we can not define the ‘other’, we can encourage healing.

Maybe, I’m a fool – though I will not relinquish my heart to another’s fear. Rather, like many before me – my love shall rise above.

In peace…

Namaste ❤

Testing the Tolerance of Heart.

I was watching the news on television this morning. A young man out walking his pup was attacked by another passerby. “I didn’t like the way he looked,” the assailant later confided. “Up to no good, I’m telling ya,” he said.

The victim was later identified a community leader and advocate for disadvantaged youth. His days were comprised of much smaller actions yielding a far greater good. In the past week alone, he had offered uniforms and lunches for those children whose parents were unable to provide.

And, not for the glory – my goodness, no. Rather, more simply, because it was the right thing to do. But now he lay, clinging to life. Why?

Because, “I didn’t like the way he looked…”

In our teachings, we focus on the essence of love and its transformative spirit. Though, how often do we exercise the energy of tolerance? “I’m a Buddhist until I get behind the wheel of a car,” a friend of mine once said. And, he was right – my ‘burning ears’ will surely bear testimony.

The truth is, every moment is a test of our tolerance. Our emotions, our fears, our past experiences – each defining our interaction within this space. We may say or act a certain way, sometimes not truly reflective of our beliefs or spirit. Emotions trigger reaction, while tolerance coaxes heart.

Though there may be vast differences between us all, still we strive for a shared understanding; a unity beyond race, culture, class and virtue.

“If we cannot end now our differences,” President John F. Kennedy once shared. “at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.”

Perhaps then, our practice should include a testing of heart? That we may learn to engage tolerance even in these more trying of times.

In peace, my loves…

Namaste ❤️

This Selflessness of Spirit.

Growing up, my mother always kept an extra place setting open at the table. “In case someone stops by,” she’d smile.

Through her actions, my mother encouraged the selfless grace of compassion, and a sharing of heart with all human souls. To this day, I strive to reflect her generosity and warmth of spirit. I pray that I may create a space for all to feel ‘at home’. Our community is just one of her many manifestations of light.

The Buddha’s teachings embodied the principles of mutuality, tolerance and acceptance; our shedding of ‘self’ serving as a means to that end.

As the finer threads of our veiled illusion shifts, we begin to see ourselves in a different life. Not as ‘one’, but ‘belonging to’ something much greater than the eye may discern.

Humanity is served by these fundamental values; of peace, of tolerance and respect for all. Irrespective of our political ties, and separate from the chapels of resignation.

We are one human family, after all.

Today, I pray we may honor this energy of compassion – utilizing our deepest heart in the furtherance of all.

In peace, my loves…

Namaste ❤️

This Path to Freedom.

“We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied to a single garment of destiny,” the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once shared. “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. We are made to live together because of the interrelated structure of reality.”

The year was 1967, Christmas Eve to be exact. Standing before the congregation at the Ebenezer Baptist Church – he had only one thought committed to mind:

“Peace on Earth, Good Will toward Men.”

He was an advocate for social change, one which escalated the voice of one into thoughts of many. He challenged Americans to extend their ‘view’, to see beyond the confines of ‘self’.

“Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation;” he said, “and this means we must develop a world perspective. No individual can live alone…”

Next week begins with a celebration of his life’s journey, a day of observation marked sadly with a hint of irony. Protestors are already beginning to line the inaugural parade route, while demonstrations are planned from a focal point of fear.

As a result, battle lines are being drawn – as most find themselves in a space of taking sides. Though, what gain does partisanship further? And, what is the impact to peaceful coexistence?

At the center point of our pain, there is a ‘need’ to be heard ~ to have mutuality embrace those much deeper wounds. It is the basis of our mindfulness practice; to approach this world with a truly open heart.

We all want the same things. We want happiness, peace and acceptance. We want to love and be loved in return. Though we may share a common goal, our paths to attain are invariably different.

Not better…

Not worse…

Just, different.

“I’ve seen too much hate to want hate myself,” he said. “I still have a dream that with this faith we will be able to adjourn the councils of despair…”

As with all things, we must engage a wider-world view; looking first to heart, for that which is needed most of all:

Peace on Earth and Good Will to all men.

Only then, may we be truly free.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

For This, We Pray.

My darlings, today a simple phrase – a reminder of what matters most of all. From poet William Wordsworth:

“The best portion of a good man’s life: his little, nameless unremembered acts of kindness and love.”

Today, I pray…

That we may each infuse kindness throughout every single deed; that love may prove worthier than the stories we keep.

That the legacy of bold may serve as balm to the weak, as empathy soothes the heart of the embittered.

Let indifference find no respite here; rather, tolerance, acceptance, equanimity and peace.

“Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendor in the grass, of glory in the flower;
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind;
In the primal sympathy
Which having been must ever be…”

My darlings, I pray that love may be our every hour.

In peace…

Namaste <3

These Ambitions of Peace.

I watched a fight unfold online. Two individuals of equal point vying for their need to be heard.

Each of us has traveled this path, my loves; where intention yields to the complexity of emotion and good will surrenders to moment.

We put more in, yet end up losing all.

Often, we may feel a sense of fractured belonging; wanting be part of, yet isolated still. Alan Watts once wrote that all of life is a function of the universe as a whole.

Just as the wave to ocean, our energy serves. Even though we may not sense it at the time, still – every thought, every word, every action becomes an inseparable part of the much greater whole.

“The art of living,” he writes. “is neither careless drifting on the one hand nor fearful clinging to the past on the other. It consists in being sensitive to each moment, in regarding it as utterly new and unique, in having the mind open and wholly receptive.”

The sadness within these conversations, my loves – is that we tend to bristle up, becoming ultimately more rigid in our ways.

In doing so, we sacrifice this sense of wonderment – of allowing ourselves to experience these depths of moment more fully.

Just a little something to remember, my darlings ~ even the slightest of tug can serve the ambitions of peace.

With love…
Namaste ❤️

The Art of Giving Freely.

“We are all one.”

These are the words often shared through many countless teaching. They are the embodiment of authenticity and grace, demonstrating the interrelationship between all living beings.

Likewise, they mark the ‘boundaries’ of our own spiritual freedom. Meaning, only to the extent that we may love ourselves – to willingly accept all which comprises our being – may we truly love another.

But, there’s a fear often associated with this blind unconditionality. As humans, we’re hesitant to face that which we presume to be judged. From outermost shell to the heart of our inner presence, we modify, adapt and change that which we assume can not be loved.

Though, how can we possibly emit the radiance of mutuality, when we’re unwilling to commit that same light to self?

And, how may we enter this space of shared understanding, when we’re unwilling to share the true boundlessness of our being?

A little something to consider, my friends – what we share to this world is ultimately returned.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️

Which Are We?

Zen Master Tich Nhat Hanh was once asked what we need to do to save our world. To which he replied, without hesitation:

“What we most need to do is to hear within us the sound of the earth crying.”

Given the the escalation of violence recently, and most notably those actions born of fear and intolerance — I wanted to take this opportunity to help all hearts heal.
“Man is not the enemy”, he has often reminded us. “Our enemy is hatred, anger, ignorance and fear.”

At the core of which threads the tangled roots of misunderstanding; a parasite feeding upon the insecurities of this world.

In order to heal, we must appeal to the most compelling of truths; a realization that we can not use force to bring about peace.

Likewise, we must be willing to broaden our perspective – to know the true depths of a wounded soul. And, absent the limitations of label or presumption. To take action from the sacred heart of compassion.

As Gandhi himself once so poignantly reminded, that instead of blinding the world through an ‘eye for an eye, we must strive to become a source of light; a glimmer of hope even within our ‘enemies’ eyes.

To hear the earth crying implies a boundless compassion; holding humanity’s needs higher than even our own.

A little something to consider today, my loves ~ and begging the question;

“Are we the spark of life, or the fire that burns through it?”

In peace…

Namaste ❤️