i awaken today on this next to last day of astonishing light august with two words playing through me… maitri and karuna… lovingkindness and compassion… how much i/we need these nutrients of sunlight… how much i/we all require these most essential nutrients as we meet each moment of eternity fully, as we meet moments as friends…
the more turbulence in the world, the more we are called to be lovingkindness and compassion for ourselves and all others… today’s turbulence and ruptures also whisper of letting go, of traveling lightly between the worlds of here and now and the great beyond… deeper and deeper into the mystery of the cave of the heart, into the sacred space of silence beyond all words…
i’d love for you to join me now in the lovingkindness field of compassion, the bodhisattva field, the field of liberation, the field of infinite openness… and, in this sacred space, let us join in the most essential practice for cultivating lovingkindness and compassion, the practice of tonglen, of giving and taking…
truth is we all have an endless supply of these nutrients available to flow into us through the umbilical cord of our one heart…
we begin with ourselves by coming into our essence… unconditional love and imagining all limiting forces condensing into a black ball of smoke and coming out of our stomach to be received into the sacred heart of compassion… now witness the black ball dissolving and smile feeling yourself as love, joy, wisdom and liberation…
now, let’s move onto someone we love who’s suffering and witness all their pain coming out of their stomach and coming into the divine heart of boundless compassion… smile at seeing them transfigured…
now, we move onto someone who’s betrayed us terribly seeing all the forces that created their pain condensing into a black ball of smoke that dissolves as it enters the divine heart of compassion…
finally, we see a group of dangerous people and the pain that caused their views condensing into a black ball of smoke and dissolving as it enters the sacred heart of compassion… smile as you witness this group’s transformation…
now, take a deep breath from the sacred heart of compassion savoring this moment’s beingness of bliss…
may we take this moment to open our eyes and real-eyes the awesomeness of the cosmos when we wander in wonder dancing gracefully in rhythm with the great mystery of the all that is…
“We need to be angels for each other, to give each other strength and consolation. Because only when we fully realize that the cup of life is not only a cup of sorrow but also a cup of joy will we be able to drink it.” Henri Nouwen