January 13, 2015

EVERYTHING FOR A REASON

It is just love and I now, doing whatever happens.

If someone were to spill some soup upon me, I would understand, knowing it wanted to get close the best it could.

All comes your way for a reason. Everything is working the room and making valuable connections.

It snowed once, more than it had in years, above a village in Tibet, and come spring the temperature climbed way higher than normal.

A tidal wave of slush roared down the mountain and wiped out many families. The Buddha stood by an watched, then walked slowly off.

What the average person did not see was that all those souls dove headfirst into him. He mixed them into his being. They ran through his veins shouting with joy.

What could you know of anything if you have a list of complaints against old friends?

-Hafiz

From, “A Year with Hafiz” by Daniel Ladinsky

 

 

Photo source: Happy Tibetan Man by Evgeny Tchebotarev

January 9, 2015

NOTHING IS WORTH HOLDING ON TO

The entire teaching of Buddhism can be summed up in this way: Nothing is worth holding on to.

– Jack Kornfield

It sometimes happens that I don’t publish a post because it doesn’t feel quite right. It could be the image, the direction of the content, or a vibe that there’s something else missing. The quote above caught my attention, but the original image I had for the post wasn’t quite what I wanted (and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say haha), so I waited. I’m glad I did :)

Yesterday, I visited my first Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas, “O”…and it was incredible! Equally incredible were the statues by Richard MacDonald at the Bellagio hotel, inside the O theatre. Richard has somehow managed to capture the amazing human form in bronze statues. Though all of his works are incredible, the statue of “Nightfall” stopped me in my tracks. Noticing my fascination, the kind art director (Ed), came over and shared the story of the statue with me:

Shrouded in a veil of mystery, she floats over the crescent moon, holding the future in her right palm and the past behind her.

Thinking back on the quote, “Nothing is worth holding on to…” from a Zen perspective, this beautiful woman is weighing herself down by holding on to future and past burdens (though I’ll agree that the symbolism in the piece is beautiful!). Letting go means dropping the past and the future, and being completely rooted in this moment.

I believe that we start each day emotionally neutral. Then our mind quickly moves in to tell us how we’re feeling and all of the things we need to do. Our minds also quickly reminds us of how we should be feeling towards other people. Your husband may have made you angry the night before, so you must remember to be cold this morning. Or your manager may have been rude to you, so you decide to move slowly on a request. Or your neighbor may have looked after your pet the day before, so you bring them coffee with a smile.

Our mind has tremendous ability to categorize memories and provide suggested emotional responses.  This practice has gone on for so long that it feels natural. But what if you changed all of that and only acted with love?

This would mean throwing away all of the ties to negative emotions. It would mean living in a state of gratitude with appreciation for all that is. Living this way would also mean naturally forgiving others, because you would not be remembering past hurts and disappointments.

Quite simply, holding onto nothing and living in love means being free. In that case, no shroud of mystery is required, and the visual becomes more like this statue of the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi: radiant, beautiful, and at peace ;)

1-seated-lakshmi-statue

Photo source: Nightfall by Richard MacDonald

Photo source two: Lakshmi statue

January 5, 2015

PEACE IN THE NEW YEAR

I automatically feel like it’s the new year, because my gym in L.A. is suddenly packed. Messages of “New Year, New You” are everywhere and resolutions are abundant.

“New” does carry its own appeal. But just as we have a new year, new month, and new day, we also are rewarded with new moments. In a breath, we can change our minds, our attitude, and our entire lives.

In reflecting on the past year with a dear Icelandic friend, we both made note of the violence that seemed to characterize 2014. In many ways, it felt that we took steps backwards with regards to human and civil rights. Just as yin has yang, I also felt 2014 was punctuated by love. Many couples I know became engaged, married, or had new babies enter the world.  There was joy amidst the sadness, as there always is.  But my thoughts about the new year are characterized by this zen koan:

The only peace you will find on the top of a mountain is the peace you bring with you.

I feel that 2015 will be calmer and characterized by more peace. Quite simply because I think people are worn out. (haha!) But also believe that once we (re-)learn that violence only begets more violence, we (as a society) will look for more peaceful approaches. We will begin to remember that everything we experience in life is a reflection of who we are. Then we know that to achieve peace, we must become peace.

So instead of wishing you a Happy New Year…please allow me to be the first to wish you a Happy New Moment…filled with peace and love ;)

 

Photo source: A climber descending an alpine glacier by Andy Teasdale

December 29, 2014

SELF BLAME

I’m irritable when I’m tired. I’m impatient when I’m hungry. Loud noises, bad smells, and big crowds can wear me down. But I made it through loud holiday celebrations, crowded airports, and a kind lady sitting next to me on a plane that continued to pass gas throughout the flight. Haha! (True story.)  Though I’m an extrovert, I require downtime and function best in calm and quiet surroundings. A friend once asked if I was a “highly sensitive person,” and I think in many aspects I am. I’ve trained myself to worry less about what people think and to be less reactive, but I am still able to relate to what others may be going through.

I’ve dated jerks. (Yup, I said it! haha) I’ve gotten bad grades. I’ve been rude (especially when hungry), and regretted it. I’ve gotten into fights…argued for no reason…and stayed in toxic situations when I should have been gone. I’ve made mistakes. I’ve worried uselessly. I’ve apologized profusely. And I’ve cried needlessly (especially over the aforementioned jerks haha!).

But I am so thankful in this moment because I have gotten over all that! 

Self blame, guilt, regret, and worrying are all poisons that rob you of your peace. They are weights that hold you down and keep you from moving forward. We simply cannot change the past. And I consider myself extremely fortunate to have friends and family that love me in spite of it all. I’m so lucky to have sisters who will tell me when I need to eat…and parents who give me endless passes when I’m tired. And above all, the connection that I feel to God (Creator, the Source, Universe, Allah, or whatever feels right to you) reminds me that I am unconditionally loved and accepted despite it all.

In the grand scheme of life, there really are no mistakes. I believe that we make the best decisions we can at the time with the information we have. And when we know better, we do better. This wisdom can only come from experience.

This post was inspired by the following quote from Simone Weil, and I hope that you’ll reflect on it and most of all, forgive yourself:

Compassion directed toward oneself is true humility.

In this life that we have, we get to choose the type of experience we want to have. We can suffer under the weight of self blame and worrying, or we can fly by letting it all go. Your choice ;)

Namaste.

Photo source:  Morning Sun over Niagara Falls by Gerhard Hagen

December 28, 2014

YOU ARE LOVE

All know that the drop merges into the ocean,

but few know that the ocean merges into the drop.

-Kabir

This holiday season, I was very fortunate to be able to celebrate with friends and family in Texas. The love was overwhelming and quite special. I remain so thankful.

When I ran across this quote from Kabir, I was struck by the simplicity, beauty, and depth of these words. I was reminded of love, friends, and family. And I remembered an article I read that suggested that you become the average of the five people with whom you spend the most time. So, while you are changing their lives, they are changing you. We are one :)

With wishes of peace, blessings, love, and light for the holiday season and new year,  I hope that you will keep your circle positive and radiant. Love is the only truth, and when we are immersed in it, we become love.

In the wise words of Swami Sai Premanada:

Practice love until you remember that you are love.

xoxo! ;)

sage signature1

Photo source: sunset austin 12/23/2014 by Bill Blackmon

Photo note: While out with my sister in Austin, I was fortunate to see this sunset firsthand. The awesome photographer, Bill Blackmon, captured it perfectly! :)

December 19, 2014

THERE IS ONLY NOW

The Buddha taught:

Do not pursue the past.

Do not lose yourself in the future.

The past no longer is.

The future has not yet come.

Looking deeply at life as it is

in the very here and now,

the practitioner dwells

in stability and freedom.

We must be diligent today.

To wait until tomorrow is too late.

Death comes unexpectedly.

How can we bargain with it?

The sage calls a person who knows

how to dwell in mindfulness

night and day

‘one who knows

the better way to live alone.’

-from the Bhaddakaratta Sutta, translated by Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay)

Aside from nature, nothing is quite as inspiring as being around artists passionately enjoying their craft. After rocking out with Hopkins (led by my friend Justin Hopkins) last night in Hermosa Beach, I had a chance to hang out with the band. The (ridiculously talented) drummer, LB, mentioned someone he knew passed away unexpectedly. I was reminded of this Buddhist teaching and it’s core lesson: there is only now.

Zen is all about being in the now and being mindful. But what does this all mean?

 

LIVING IN THE NOW

Living in the now requires acceptance of the past. What’s done is done. The past no longer is. This is probably the most difficult aspect of the teaching because we may have had a harmful or painful past, or we may carry regrets about things we may (or may not) have done. The unfortunate reality is dwelling in the harmful past is actually a way of chasing pain. We simply cannot change what has happened. Having regrets  and being depressed about what has occurred ignores the universal truth that everything is happening for your highest good. Even if something devastating has happened, as long as you have life, you have the ability to change yourself…and thereby change the world.

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world.

Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”    – Rumi

Living the now requires faith of things to come in the future. Anxiety of any kind is fear of the future. A person who is scared to fly may have anxiety about crashing. But what is meant to be is going to be regardless of one’s fear. Things happen, and having anxiety about an outcome only makes your time uncomfortable….or it can create a negative outcome as a result of your anxiety. Imagine interviewing someone for a job, and then having that person call you every day after the interview to inquire about the status. That person is clearly anxious about not receiving the job offer. Their anxiety  (shared with you through the daily calls) makes you crazy and you decide not to hire them. So relax ;)

Living in the now also requires us to get it done now. It is amazing how we try to bargain with life. We procrastinate and defer because we think we have time. If there is anything to be learned from living now is that we must do it now. Tomorrow never comes.

 

mindfulness

To be mindful means to be intensely focused and aware of what you are doing now. When you eat, eat. When you write, write. If your mind wanders to other things in the midst of these activities, quite simply you are not being mindful.  Mindfulness heals. Because you are living in the now, peace finds you.  You are always only a mindful breath away from peace.

 

Stability, freedom, and peace are all found by restricting our attention and focus to this present moment. Now is really all we have. That instant is too tiny to be measured, but when our minds wander to the past or future, we lose infinity. Deep breathing and meditation are ways to get it back…but so is washing dishes mindfully, playing sports mindfully, or banging on drums mindfully.

Peace and passion dwell together :)

 

 

Photo source: Passionate blind by Cesar Gastoneta

December 13, 2014

BE MELTING SNOW

Be melting snow.

Wash yourself of yourself.

 

-Rumi

November 23, 2014

BE BRAVE

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting a beautiful spirit…her name is Chloe Temtchine. She is the model for courage and bravery as she maintains a super positive spirit and continues to share her musical gifts while raising awareness for Pulmonary Hypertension. (You can learn more about PH here).

I hope that you’ll take a moment to gain awareness about PH and support efforts to find a cure! The first step to support the cure is simple…you can purchase Chloe’s awesome song Be Brave on Amazon or iTunes :)  She also has a great website and Facebook page ;)

In all darkness, light is found…so don’t let it drag you down :)

Thank you, Chloe, for sharing your gifts!

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