 May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness. May all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. May all beings never be parted from freedom’s true joy. May all beings dwell in equanimity, free from attachment and aversion. Traditional Tibetan Prayer May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may my thoughts and my actions somehow contribute to that freedom for all.
Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again. – Thich Nhat Hanh
Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you! - Dr. Suess
From Padama: In Sanskrit: कायेन वाचा मनसेन्द्रियैर्वा बुद्ध्यात्मना वा प्रकृतेः स्वभावात् करोमि यद्यत् सकलं परस्मै नारायणायेति समर्पयामि // Pronunciation: kAyena vAchA manasE-ndriye-irvA buddhyAAthmanA vA prakrutEha svabhAvAt karomi yadhyat sakalam parasme-i nArAyanAyEti samarpa-yAmi Translation (literal word-meaning in parenthesis): With my actions (body), speech, thoughts (mind), feelings (sense-organs), Reasoning (intellect), inner spirit, and instincts (inherent nature); Whatever I do with all of these, I offer selflessly to the Divine Spirit. “As it is, we are merely bolting our lives—gulping down undigested experiences as fast as we can stuff them in—because awareness of our own existence is so superficial and so narrow that nothing seems to us more boring than simply being. If I ask you what you did, saw, heard, smelled, touched and tasted yesterday, I am likely to get nothing more than the thin, sketchy outline of the few things that you noticed, and of those only what you thought worth remembering. Is it surprising that an existence so experienced seems so empty and bare that its hunger for an infinite future is insatiable? But suppose you could answer, “It would take me forever to tell you, and I am much too interested in what’s happening now.” How is it possible that a being with such sensitive jewels as the eyes, such enchanted musical instruments as the ears, and such a fabulous arabesque of nerves as the brain can experience itself as anything less than a god? And, when you consider that this incalculably subtle organism is inseparable from the still more marvelous patterns of its environment—from the minutest electrical designs to the whole company of the galaxies—how is it conceivable that this incarnation of all eternity can be bored with being?”~ Alan Watts  Look at your feet. You are standing in the sky. When we think of the sky, we tend to look up, but the sky actually begins at the earth. – Diane Ackerman
Not one single atom opposes us. Zen Master Hongzhi
Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out... The tragedy of modern man is not that he knows less and less about the meaning of his own life, but that it bothers him less and less... Anyone who takes himself too seriously always runs the risk of looking ridiculous; anyone who can consistently laugh at himself does not. Václav Havel I Got Kin
Plant - So that your own heart will grow.
I got kin in that body! I should start inviting that soul over for coffee and rolls."
Hafiz People often say that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves. Salma Hayek  Angels can fly because they take themselves so lightly. G.K. Chesterton What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but, scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable. Joseph Addison The way you come to fully appreciate the infusion of the Spirit is to more and more come fully into the moment, where this moment is enough. Ram Dass  The Good News by Thich Nhat Hanh The good news we do print. We have a special edition every moment, and we need you to read it. The good news is that you are alive, that the linden tree is still there, standing firm in the harsh winter. The good news is that you have wonderful eyes to touch the blue sky. The good news is that your child is there before you, and your arms are available: hugging is possible. They only print what is wrong. Look at each of our special editions. We always offer the things that are not wrong. We want you to benefit from them and help protect them. The dandelion is there by the sidewalk, smiling its wondrous smile, singing the song of eternity. Listen. You have ears that can hear it. Bow your head. Listen to it. Leave behind the world of sorrow, of preoccupation, and get free. The latest good news is that you can do it. In the time of your life, live — so that in that wondrous time you shall not add to the misery and sorrow of the world, but shall smile to the infinite delight and mystery of it. William Saroyan The Time of Your Life Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again. Thich Nhat Hanh 
Don't be concerned about being disloyal to your pain by being joyous. Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan Alchemical Wisdom
Although we have been made to believe that if we let go we will end up with nothing, life reveals just the opposite: that letting go is the real path to freedom. Sogyal Rinpoche Glimpse After Glimpse The unthankful heart...discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings! Henry Ward Beecher To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything God has given us - and God has given us everything. Thomas Merton Thoughts in Solitude Hope is like a road in the country: there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence. Lin Yutang The only way to live is to accept each minute as an unrepeatable miracle. Margaret Storm Jameson Within us is the soul of the whole, the wise silence, the universal beauty, the eternal One. Ralph Waldo Emerson Few things are so important that they cannot wait for a moment of breath... T.K.V. Desikachar Enveloped in Your Light, may I be a beacon to those in search of Light. Sheltered in Your Peace, may I offer shelter to those in need of peace. Embraced by Your Presence, so may I be present to others. Rabbi Rami Shapiro 
"I Shall Look At The World Through Tears. Nicholas Wolterstorff. Look at your feet. You are standing in the sky. When we think of the sky, we tend to look up, but the sky actually begins at the earth. – Diane Ackerman Serenity Prayer - Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971) "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference." "Wisdom is knowing we are all One. Love is what is feels like. Compassion is what it acts like." Ethan Walker III "Accepting means you allow yourself to feel whatever it is you are feeling at that moment. It is part of the isness of the Now. You can't argue with what is. Well you can but if you do you suffer." Eckhart Tolle Nothing we see or hear is perfect. But right there in the imperfection is perfect reality. Suzuki Roshi Thankfulness is the soul of beneficence; abundance is but the husk, for thankfulness brings you to the place where the Beloved lives. Rumi Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. Viktor E. Frankl Endlessly raveling and unraveling, thought combines colorful yarns to clothe each moment. Consciousness is the great poem of matter. Diane Ackerman  "Ring the bell that can be rung, forget your perfect offering, There’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.... That’s how the light gets in....” -Leonard Cohen
Life is your art. An open, aware heart is your camera and oneness with your world is your film. – Ansel Adams “There has never been an ordinary human being born on this planet. But while there has never been an ordinary child born on this earth, the undeniable tragedy is that most of us die after having lived painfully ordinary lives. Every child is born with his own genius, her unique creativity. Every human being is brimming with divine potential. Every one of us is born with an artisan soul. It was Picasso who said, “Every child is born an artist. The problem is staying an artist as you grow up.” Erwin Raphael McManus. “The Artisan Soul.” Spring Giddiness Rumi Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened. Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument. Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground. The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep. You must ask for what you really want. Don’t go back to sleep. People are going back and forth across the doorsill where the two worlds touch. The door is round and open. Don’t go back to sleep. I would love to kiss you. The price of kissing is your life. Now my loving is running toward my life shouting, What a bargain, let’s buy it. Daylight, full of small dancing particles and the one great turning, our souls are dancing with you, without feet, they dance. Can you see them when I whisper in your ear? All day and night, music, a quiet, bright reedsong. If it fades, we fade. Gratitude takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder. Thomas Merton The most beautiful people are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross |
