Rather than relying on a thin, idealized hope that we will all one day just get along, we can approach conflict resolution as an art form that we are privileged to develop and hone. ~Diane Musho Hamilton (1958 to pres., Zen priest, mediator, and Buddhist teacher)
Learning to be not too tight and not too loose is an individual journey through which you discover how to find your own balance: how to relax when you find yourself being too rigid; how to become more elegant and precise when you find yourself being too casual. ~Pema Chodron (1936 to pres., Buddhist Teacher)
Upon the maple leaves The dew shines red, But on the lotus blossom It has the pale transparence of tears. ~Amy Lowell (1874-1925, poet, performer, editor, translator)
The aspiration to monkhood is intrinsic to human life— a universal quality of being that continually draws us into silence. The deep self seeks something more radical and intense from life, and longs to be united with its Source. This is the monk within. ~Beverly Lanzetta (1947 to pres., theologian, feminist, religious scholar)
Living as a mystic means orienting the whole of yourself toward the sacred. It’s a matter of purposely looking through the lens of love. ~Mirabai Starr (author, philosopher, counselor, teacher of contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialog)
Everyone needs to be free. Everyone needs to have access to the resources they need to be well, safe, and happy. You don’t have to earn a right to be fed and housed and cared for and clothed. This isn’t about the nature of your character, this is about the fact that you are human … Continue reading Care for One Another
When we feel held by a caring presence, by something larger than our small, frightened self, we begin to find room in our own heart for the fragments of our life, and for the lives of others. The suffering that might have seemed “too much” can awaken us to the sweetness of compassion. ~Tara Brach … Continue reading Caring Presence
Yes, seekers, dosit up,stand tall.But hearmy bent secret: All saints slouch.God’s lovers leaninto the divine embraceand therelet the years pass. Struggling for straightness, your strivings shaken, learn what true knowers know:Effort clears the way,but the stepsare already taken. Ivan … Continue reading Bent
When we understand the nature of life, we see its fragility, and we also see its beauty and wholeness. Some days, the ocean’s surface is tranquil. Other days, when the surf is up, we see sets of individual waves, sometimes big ones, sometimes small. In either case, it’s all a vast body of water that … Continue reading Nature of Life
Don’t plan it all. Let life surprise you a little. ~Julia Alvarez (1950 to pres., American poet, novelist, and essayist)