1983 she's

little white pup chinook at waterfall cuyamaca - leslie

peace eye

1:00 pm
it's raining . raindrop on an orange flower close up is beautiful .  i let myself be happy .

of course it's today

happy birthday , be well
remember joy , peace

is life

beach yoga

seaweed woman
digs the sand
what will she find
wandering the strand
little fishes swim into her ears
tickle her mind

she's a witch who remembers
to walk on land
dive the deep
gather kelp leaves for hair
where in the world does she sleep
far away embers
wondering , is it cold there ?

octopi army
all those limbs
watery woman sings salty hymns
you think she got teeth to bite ?
you know zero
plankton diet !

look there's an ant on Buddha's head
distracted
forget the deep sea bed
ditch spade and pail
called to particular meditation
the singularity detail


lah 08/17/16

may all beings be happy

"All are nothing but flowers
In a flowing universe."
 - Nakagawa Soen-Roshi

"Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world."
 - The Buddha

"When you make peace with yourself, you make peace with the world."                                
 - Maha Ghosananda


"The escalating threat to the world’s environment and climate stems from a profound predicament that affects all humanity. We are ever more rapidly losing our connection with the sacred nature of our world. This tragedy affects us in so many ways, but at its heart, it is a crisis of the spirit. We are harming our planet and fellow beings because we are losing touch with the basic goodness of our own sacred being."
 - Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche (A Call to Contemplation and Action on Climate Change 2009)

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection”
 – Buddha

“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day.”
― Abraham Lincoln

“As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation -- either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force. I decided to follow the latter course.”
― Martin Luther King Jr. 

“The human heart has a way of making itself large again even after it's been broken into a million pieces.”
― Robert James Waller
( god ,  i hope so )

“Don't despair: despair suggests you are in total control and know what is coming. You don't - surrender to events with hope.”
― Alain de Botton

“Always say “yes” to the present moment. What could be more futile, more insane, than to create inner resistance to what already is? what could be more insane than to oppose life itself, which is now and always now? Surrender to what is. Say “yes” to life — and see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you.”
― Eckhart Tolle

“It's healthy to say uncle when your bone's about to break.”
― Jonathan Franzen

“A daily dose of daydreaming heals the heart, soothes the soul, and strengthens the imagination.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, & Grumblings for Every Day of the Year 

"eat well , be well , live better " - message on a package of lemon cookies 

From Marianne Williamson:  

 

"Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here."

"The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world."

"Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are."

"We are not held back by the love we didn't receive in the past, but by the love we're not extending in the present."

"In every community, there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart, there is the power to do it."

"We can always choose to perceive things differently. You can focus on what's wrong in your life, or you can focus on what's right."

"If I choose to bless another person, I will always end up feeling more blessed."

From His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama:  

 

"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness."

"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive."

"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them."

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion."

"We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves."

Bodhisattva Prayer for Humanity

May I be a guard for those who need protection

A guide for those on the path

A boat, a raft, a bridge for those who wish to cross the flood

May I be a lamp in the darkness

A resting place for the weary

A healing medicine for all who are sick

A vase of plenty, a tree of miracles

And for the boundless multitudes of living beings

May I bring sustenance and awakening

Enduring like the earth and sky

Until all beings are freed from sorrow

And all are awakened.

 - Shantideva, Indian Buddhist sage 700 A.D.  Prayer performed each morning by His Holiness the Dalai Lama

* bless you *

     

 

you ask me

to look
hear my voice
see my feet :-)

i want you to smile !
and i want me to smile !

do you not notice . . . ?




(excerpt from the original version , personal archives) 

happiness is my fault , or reincarnation : it's not for the faint hearted

ant agony
army mud boots
plucking the vine , stomping fruits
quickly may miss
love, the darling wolf
a snarling kiss

where's the long lost face 
many a frayed place
cut and layered
alone uncover peace ,  atone
is it under 
this tender palm,  smooth stone ?

i don't know
depends on where we're asked to go
you want to find reason , the hours spent
here's a dedication , you meant
to hit her from below

ill or happy wind
girl gods got nothing up their sleeve
forming their silent smiles
she might believe
a hidden knife
both sought
made
it's true, this secret life

the madonna , the durga
sign of the cross way station
our first lady,  the first nation
the one who drums and dances
sings to her :
" you are unwell
breathe, be easy,  go to hell "

ancestral voices chime :
go ask buddha about guilt and sin
might be a waste of air
look deep , take it all in
stripped bare
some unknown determined flirt
to make a point
reveal hurt
you're sorry, i'm sorry
our never ending story

open mouthed stare
why does she seek
why did he go there ?
does this make them weak ?
blind leading blind
a dance hoping for
restored vision 
expanse of heart
right mind

sometimes she howls
"i'm good, i'm beauty, tough as nails"
let's test that with a hammer
necessary breakage perhaps
so uncooperative , damn her
so conventionally bound
so trapped in this and that
in what precisely?
 
be in a hurry, get your hat
asking nicely
make a sound more than illusion , fear
dear lord
threaten's  existence
what new penance

little cold hearted orbs
not so sparkly in the dark
starkly flat white
regarding them each night
illusions of destiny , free will
empty and fill
we all want a song
we want to belong

ah happiness
where is it , can anyone guess ?
kneel for danger
another frontier
another state meant to be
reassembled into something stranger

maybe near,  turning
precious please once more
simple new baby
who loves you?
but no . . what's burning ?

the endless wheel of night
trading wares , holy beads , mystery , hope -
may we yet be spun into pure awareness
gold light ?
unbelievably .


not yet , nope
once again
get up off the collective couch , resurrect the psyche
they all just want to see
one more time
jesus ,  really?
what it's like


 lahc  
07/08. . 07/17/16