My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, coffee life, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, spirituality and asking deep questions.
A teacher cannot give you the truth. The truth is already in you. You only need to open yourself – body, mind, and heart – so that his or her teachings will penetrate your own seeds of understanding and enlightenment. If you let the words enter you, the soil and the seeds will do the rest of the work.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Quotes have a way of sitting with me. I sometimes ponder the words, letting them sink in and take root. Sometimes I memorize them, because they truly are seeds for understanding and enlightenment. When I have been open to words of truth I can be changed by them! I am grateful for the teachers in my life who have shared words of wisdom. Have a wonderful Sunday !
When we recognize the virtues, the talent, the beauty of Mother Earth, something is born in us, some kind of connection—love is born. We want to be connected. That is the meaning of love, to be at one…. You would do anything for the benefit of the Earth, and the Earth will do anything for your well-being.
The Earth is everywhere. You may be used to thinking of the Earth as only the ground beneath your feet. But the water, the sea, the sky, and everything around us comes from the Earth. Everything outside us and everything inside us comes from the Earth.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Colorado does have some beautiful blue skies. We haven’t seen much of it for the past couple days. Today is one of them. May Thich Nhat Hanh’s words cause us to pause, reflect on the world around us and then let them set deep roots within us to live by. Have a wonderful weekend.
A lot of our fear, hatred, anger, and feelings of separation and alienation come from the idea that we are separate from the planet. We see ourselves as the center of the universe and are concerned primarily with our own personal survival. If we care about the health and well-being of the planet, we do so for our own sake. We want the air to be clean enough for us to breathe. We want the water to be clear enough so that we have something to drink. But we need to do more than use recycled products or donate money to environmental groups. We have to change our whole relationship with the Earth.
Thich Nhat Hanh
I guess if I were to have a resolution or goal for the coming year it would be to continue the change in my relationship with Mother Earth, not just in my thinking but in my actions.
“Meditation is offering our genuine presence to our selves in every moment.”
Thich Nhat Hanh
Had a nice quiet time this morning. It was windy and overcast when I left the condo this morning. Wind was blowing leaves across the grass and street, making them dance. It has that feel of fall. An hour later, the sun was bursting through casting rays of light across golden leaves. Quite beautiful! Could see some light rain about mid-day. The high for the day is expected to be 56 degrees. Yes, a fall day.
We have another forest fire burning north of us in Wyoming called the Mullen Fire. It’s burning aggressively, starting 10 days ago, and has now burned up to 68,000 acres and no containment. The smoke from that fire plus the Cameron Peak fire made it difficult to see at any distance yesterday evening, made everything smell like a camp fire and ash and soot descended on almost everything. Several years ago my parents built a nice cabin in Mountain Home, Wyoming. This is near the Mullen fire and the area is now in a mandatory evacuation. It would hurt to see the cabin destroyed even though they sold a few years ago.
The Cameron Peak fire is now the third largest forest fire in Colorado’s history. Not the record we want to boast about. Wind gusts of 50mph have caused it to increase, now at 124,000 acres. The fire has burned east past the Shambhala Center, a Buddhist retreat center but crews were able to protect the temple at Shambhala. The three communities of Red Feather Lakes, Glacier View and Crystal Lakes are still under mandatory evacuations.
I need to catch up on reading and commenting on my blog feeder, so that is my intention today. I will also practice a bit of haiku and continue to read. And, I will for sure enjoy more meditation.
