Today's Meditation(s): Meditations  2.2 (Hammond) It's not about being learnéd. It's not about how others perceive me or even about how I perceive myself.  It's about my soul. It's about being a good person. It's about loving fate in all its forms. It's about understanding how the world works so I can better be that good person.

Today's Meditation(s): Meditations 2.1 After his list of people and virtues in the first book, what's the first thing Marcus does in book 2? People are annoying and do wrong.  But . . . understand them, forgive and correct them, connect with them, live and work in harmony with them. It starts out so negative and condemning of people we deal with all the time, normal people, everyday people. Then it pivots to all the reasons to be patient with them and let it slide. ("I gotta admit, they had us in the first half.....") Good thoughts to keep in mind when I meet them in my own life.

Today's Meditation(s): Chuang Tzu's Empty Boat He who rules men lives in confusion; He who is ruled by men lives in sorrow. Tao therefore desired Neither to influence others Nor to be influenced by them. The way to get clear of confusion And free of sorrow Is to live with Tao In the land of the great Void. If a man is crossing a river And an empty boat collides with his own skiff, Even though he be a bad-tempered man He will not become very angry. But if he sees a man in the boat, He will shout at him to steer clear. If the shout is not heard, he will shout again, And yet again, and begin cursing. And all because there is somebody in the boat. Yet if the boat were empty. He would not be shouting, and not angry. If you can empty your own boat Crossing the river of the world, No one will oppose you, No one will seek to harm you. A classic teaching for a reason. Let my boat be empty. Let me understand the other boats are empty and react accordingly.  Resist the first impulse. Do n...

Year 6 begins today. Today's Meditation(s): Mediations 2.1 (Waterfield) Do not rush to judge. People share the same sins, the same foibles and nature. I must seek to understand when I might take offense: it's what I ask of others when I err. I must offer understanding and kindness just the same. I can only do what I can do, so I do what I can when I can. That's what's up to me. We are humans together. One, even, when I can see it.

Today's Meditation(s): The end of year 5. Half a decade of these readings and thoughts. I've made progress. I've had failures. I've let things slide. As seen in the plerhora of asterisks in recent months. I'm still me. Wherever I go, there I am. I'm enjoying the last few months sojourn beyond Stoicism. Thich Nhat Hanh writes with clarity and power. He speaks to me and to my limited understanding of Buddhism. He makes me want to learn more. So that will be my next reading. Maybe the Diamond Sutra. . . . right after I spend a little time with some old friends.

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh  (ed. by Melvin McLeod), The Five Mindfulness Trainings, Reverence for Life I will cultivate openness, non-discrimination, and non-attachment. I will make time to do my reading. I will make time to meditate. I will make time for my family. I will find more ways to help others.

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh  (ed. by Melvin McLeod), Peace Work Cultivate joy. It is briefer than suffering. It is more brittle. It fades more quickly and more easily. So find it and encourage it.

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh  (ed. by Melvin McLeod),  Peace Work Both are true. Accept both are true. Still work to change it. Understand the world, beauty and bombs, is worth the effort. 

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh  (ed. by Melvin McLeod), Peace Work Here now in essencenessesses. I can be here for now without waiting for Nirvana to stumble upon me.

Today's Meditation(s): I know, I know when I'm hollow, hollow You take it all away and fill the empty spaces Don't know, don't know about tomorrow, 'morrow But I know that today I feel a little bit lighter When the world's heavy as stone And the colors shine a bit brighter When I'm with you Wherever we go, the cold ain't so cold As long as you're close, I thought you should know I feel a little bit lighter When I'm with you* Things are better with you. The world would be a heavy place without you. Thank you for being here to make me feel lighter. ===== * source

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh  (ed. by Melvin McLeod), Peace Work If life is suffering and any joy is temporary, then I must accept what joy I may find and let it find a place within me. If we all going to die, I must live this life while I can. I can choose. I can try. I can . . . allow it? I don't know sometimes.

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh  (ed. by Melvin McLeod), Art Sublime art. For me, it's usually music that can transport me to that. . .  mighty? ineffable? transcendent? here, now, oneness of. . . place.  Ive touched that sphere a time or two. Taking me away to that special place. I see, when I do.

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh  (ed. by Melvin McLeod), Art Aim at a beautiful and helpful life. Do this through art. Do this through word. Do this through action. Help others and know that this, at least, was worth it.

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh  (ed. by Melvin McLeod), Children of the Earth The enshittification continues apace. The pollution grows. I fear and marvel at what the world will be. I wonder how my children will adapt, adopt, refuse, or ignore these influences. I wonder if I am as reactionary as those who feared the advent of widespread and popular radio would tear down society. But I do know that the less I consume, the better I feel. The more effective I am. And I try 6instill this in my kids. I hope I get to see how they do.

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh  (ed. by Melvin McLeod), Children of the Earth Be what I was meant to be. Be part of Nature. Follow wisdom in pursuit of virtue. Make loving kindness my goal in and for the community.  When I fight my true nature as inter-being with all else, whether from weakness or ignorance, I do harm. Let me be steadfast. Let me learn. Let me be kind. Let me understand. Let me love.

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh  (ed. by Melvin McLeod), Children of the Earth I am connected to all things. In past lives, I have been a rock, a tree, a wave, an animal. All my components were parts of these things before they came together to create me. I am not a thing apart. Nkr am I now separate from the world. I am significantly, importantly, desperately connected to all others. I must act with care for all people, all creatures, all things. My care must be active and deliberate to prevent errors and accidents beyond my conscious desire and attempts to do good.

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh  (ed. by Melvin McLeod), Children of the Earth "You are a fluke of the universe...." Well,maybe let's call it a manifestation, an inter-being being who has come and who must go. Passing on, led ing ripples behind that show this me was here. Even if I I am an illusion.

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh  (ed. by Melvin McLeod), Reconciliation I used this same passage last time I came to this teaching. It's just so good. One of my favorite sayings is, "Don't just do something . Stand there!"  [It's a warning against unconsidered decisions I first heard on Capital Hill. Apropos given DC's penchant for taking stupid — or, more likely, deliberately unhelpful or unrelated and unhelpful in other lights) — action.] "Our world does not lack people willing to throw themselves into action." And we are the poorer for it. It's sort of how everyone is always bucking for, and pushing for, people to be Leaders™. And looking down on those who don't follow that path. If people would understand the value of understanding and compassion over ambition and self-aggrandizement, perhaps we would avoid the  too-many-chiefs-and-not-enough-indians problems which seem ubiquitous today.

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh  (ed. by Melvin McLeod), Inclusiveness Embrace. Now we have to not only understand them but also embrace them? Do you have any idea how hard it is going to be not to see them as human? As suffering? As in need of love just as I am? It's almost like he means it. It's almost like this is important. Like it's something I need to continue to open myself to that I may find it in the world, in others, all around.

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh  (ed. by Melvin McLeod), Inclusiveness Annihilation. An all-too-often first impulse I must set aside to see more clearly and understand more deeply. Stopping before I make a mistake. Stopping my impulses from ruling me. Stopping the monkey from driving the bus. But we are not separate creatures. I suffer. You suffer. How can I not want to share understanding with you? To see us as sharing nature if not manifestation? If I find any headway in my journey, I want to share that with you. And I want to know of your journey. Sit and talk with me. Let us understand.

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh  (ed. by Melvin McLeod), Inclusiveness Everything and everyone . It's not a mistake or an overreacting. It's a radical reunderstanding of the world and my place in it. A lesson in looking deeply, beyond appearances, and accepting the oneness of all. Now to figure out what that means. And then, harder, to figure out what that means in practice.

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh  (ed. by Melvin McLeod), Labels That's what I try to teach my kids: even people they hate are humans. Even them. We have to try to understand each other. We don't have to agree, but we have to understand our shared humanity and find our best way forward. Start from kindness. Start from caring. Start from sincerity. Start from within.

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh (ed. by Melvin McLeod), Labels But but but . . . He's cruel! She's destructive! They bully! I was harmed! It's so hard to see the Other Guy™ as human, rather than as a symbol of guilt or anger or sadness or despair or cruelty or greed or selfishness. But I must.

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh (ed. by Melvin McLeod), Labels Be whatever you want, but be human first.

Today's Meditation(s): The Pocket Thich Nhat Hanh  (ed. by Melvin McLeod), The Peaceful Revolution Peaceful. But he embarrassed me.  Peaceful. But she hurt me. Peaceful. But they injured me. Peaceful. But they brokr our stuff. Peaceful. But they burned the house. Peaceful. But they killed people. Peaceful. But they killed us. Peaceful. Where and how to find the peaceful path through pain and destruction is the work of eternity. Always situational. Always urgent. Always important. Always fraught. Always dangerous. Always worth it.