Category: essay

The Divinity Within the Homeless

You have been taught that the homeless are less than

But I’m here to say that they are just as divine as you and I

They are still born in the image of God’s love

They have Buddha nature within them

They are divine beings of the universe

Look within your heart and you will see this too

To cast judgment on them is cast judgment on the divine

Love your neighbor as thy self even if they are homeless

We are here to awaken to the oneness of all beings and show unconditional love to our brothers and sisters

A Zen Buddhist Taoist Christian

Some say I’m a Buddhist

Some say I’m a Christian

Some say I’m a Taoist

Some say I’m a Sufi 

You can label me all of these or none

No one religion or philosophy has a monopoly on the truth

Many streams lead to the ocean

Many paths lead up to the mountain top

All spirituality has a common ancestor

Unconditional love unites and purifies all religious teachings

Some teachings call it God, the divine, Dao, Buddha nature etc

We must not get attached to believing that our tradition has the ultimate truth while diminishing other spiritual paths

I plan to never get attached to one philosophy, religion or teacher

I only seek the ocean of unconditional love within my own soul

With aloha,

Johnny

What is Success?

It’s part of American culture to worship rich “successful” people. Who defines what is successful? Many famous celebrities with lots of money, power and fame commit suicide because they feel hallow inside. Many do illegal or hurtful things to become successful. I wouldn’t exchange my life with any celebrity or rich person! I feel like the most successful person in the world at times even with all the suffering I have gone through with my gambling addiction. I have a purpose & meaning to reduce suffering in the world through deep compassion, love, and forgiveness. Money could never buy that and often the obsession of money diverts us from finding our deeper purpose in the world.

Idol worship is not the way. It diverts us from the path of love, compassion, and forgiveness. It takes away our own self worth and puts a hierarchy in our mind. We are all equals in this universe. Don’t let society define what success is for you. Success for me is happiness, health, and helping others. I have had plenty of all three as of late. Thank you to everyone who helped me along the way.🙏🏼

With Aloha,

Johnny

The Three Poisons: Attachment, Aversion, and Ignorance

In Buddhist philosophy; attachment, aversion, and ignorance are the three main obstacles from achieving inner peace within. They are the three poisons of true happiness.

Attachment is said to be the root of all suffering.

Attachment to wealth, youth, ideology, the past, loved ones, life itself etc can drain us and make us miserable. Think of a middle aged woman attached to her youth. You can imagine her worrying about every wrinkle and what others perceive of her. By not accepting ones aging process, we suffer deeply.

Aversion on the other hand drains us of our joy by judgment, anger, or disgust. For example, an aversion to bugs can ruin our time in nature. An aversion to homeless people can stop us from having compassion for them; compassion and understanding can be the root of much joy.

Ignorance can blind us too. When we purposely or unintentionally don’t see information about a topic, we can make decisions that destroy our health and happiness. Cigarettes are a good example of this, most of the population were ignorant for many years of the risk of cancer and heart disease of smoking.

So instead of seeking pleasure or trying to find happiness, could we try to find a middle path between attachment, aversion, or ignorance? Can we learn about a topic so we are not ignorant but also not getting attached or averse to it? Blissful peace is found in the middle of this triangle.

I think it’s possible if we practice. Never think you know everything and the opposite of what you believe is true to someone else in the world.

Zen mind, beginners mind

With aloha,

Johnny

Attachment: The Root of Our Suffering

Attachment is at the root of all suffering

Attachment to youth

Attachment to wealth

Attachment to our spouse, family & friends

Attachment to life itself

If attachment is the root of all suffering..

What is the root of joy?

Freedom is the root of joy

Freedom not to hurt ourself or others but freedom from fear, anger, and hatred running and ruining our lives

Liberation from old ways of thinking & doing that make us miserable

Today is the day to start changing, even small changes can lead to huge results in time

When we look at nature, we see that everything is impermanent.

Even our own sun has a shelf life

So why do live as if relationships, wealth, family members, and our own life will last forever?

If we live a full life, one life is enough.

With aloha,

Johnny

Outdated Identity

We spend our life building our identity.

From a very early age; the music, tv, & friend group shape our identity. What we consume, becomes part of us.

But we often struggle with letting go of this identity, even when this identity is responsible for the destruction of our own joy.

We fear that if we let go of this outdated idea of who we are that we lose ourself in the process.

But the truth is that old identity was never truly us.
It was shaped by our family, culture, religion and media

So who do we truly want to become?
Do we want to self destruct our own lives clinging to the past?
Or do we want to liberate ourself & embrace a new life that is inline with our values & vision?
The first step is to release that you are worth taking care of.
Your life & happiness does matter.

The chose is ours, even minute of each day.
We can always change at any moment
Even the smallest shifts can snowball into a radically different life.

If not now, then when?

With aloha,

Johnny

True Success

True success isn’t found on a business card

It isn’t found on a bank statement

Not on a fancy diploma hanging on the wall

Or a sports car, Rolex, mansion

Success (to me) is happiness

A life full of joy & adventure

Both inside & out

Success is found in kindness & compassion

It’s found in the smile of a baby

And the wisdom of an elder

In the end, we define what a truly successful life is

In my experience, success is not found in the material world but a kind, compassionate and happy life

With aloha,

Johnny

A Simple & Uncomplicated Life

A simple & uncomplicated life is for me

I do not need fancy clothes, shoes or any other material goods

True joy is not found in sports cars, jewelry or the amount of money in our bank account

True happiness is not acquired through what we receive in life but what we give to the world

Giving is living

I vow to not hoard money

But to give to those in need

I vow to live a simple life

And to reduce suffering in myself & the world

With aloha,

Johnny

Practicing Peace.

I recently went to a Vegfest in my local community. The food was great and overall the message was a positive one. A message that we can help stop climate change, transform our health, and vote with our wallets to stop cruelty against animals through eating a plant based diet. A few of the vegans were so angry at meat eaters though. One of the presenters went on an angry tangent about decapitated pigs heads at the grocery store. She yelled at the crowd that she couldn’t understand meat eaters(even though she ate these products most of her life). It was a friendly reminder to me that true compassion encompasses all beings, not just those who live the same way as you. The way of peace doesn’t condone violence but seeks to understand others instead of judge. True compassion encompasses Hitler, Stalin, and Charles Manson.

If we want others to be more peaceful we must be peaceful, it’s as simple as that. Maybe we could just focus on ourself, making our own life our message to others? Our message of peace will be watered down if we communicate in a violent way. Practicing non-violence is something MLK, Gandhi, Jesus, Buddha, and mother Theresa all agreed on. It’s something they wanted us to practice on a daily basis. The next time we complain about the world affairs we could ask ourself “how can we expect the world to be at peace if we aren’t?”

Focus within. One lit candle can light a thousand candles.

With Aloha,

Johnny Hoffman

Darkness, Transformation, and Redemption.

The darkest moments of my life led to the most transformation. The darkness brings self-reflection, awareness, and focus.  This is only if we do not numb the pain with alcohol, drugs, and/or overeating. When a family member suddenly dies or a relationship ends, we can have moments of pure awareness and clarity on what led to this moment in time.

My first experience with this transformation was when I was honest with my ex-fiance about my infidelity. She left me the following day. At first, I numbed myself with distraction but when her parents moved all her stuff out of our studio I was forced to sit in a dark & empty apartment. My first reaction was to run away and move to a new place. Luckily I chose to stay in my empty studio. The following weeks I cried every night in sorrow. Pain, suffering, and anxiety filled each moment until one day I picked up a book called “Buddhist Bootcamp” by Timber Hawkeye. Suddenly I was meditated 1 hour a day, reading, writing, eating healthier, and working out every day. I quit smoking and significantly cut down on drinking alcohol. My days were now filled with joy instead of sorrow. This all took place from March-May 2015 in San Luis Obispo, CA. Since then I have fallen back into old habits, relearn lessons, and also had new transformations from suffering. I began a journey of self-love, peace, forgiveness, and acceptance; a journey I am currently still on (and always will be). There is no destination on this path, only the love of the journey itself.

The famous Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh says “No Mud, No Lotus”. The beautiful lotus flower grows in the darkest and muddiest environments; I truly believe humans are much the same as the beautiful lotus flower. The right environment for growth usual consists of awareness, compassion, and love while we are suffering. Once we learn how to suffer, we suffer much less. Suffering can actually be the most transformative process of life if we allow it to be.

Through the darkness, we can transform ourselves and become the light to see out of the darkness. We accept the darker side of ourselves (and the world) with compassion, understanding, and peace. In this practice, we feed the light while accepting the dark. This allows for peace instead of war. The key to transformation is to sit with ourselves through the pain instead of distraction or numbing the pain. The coldest winters of my life have always ended with a warm inviting spring. All is impermanent, even the darkest of times.

 

With Aloha,

Johnny Hoffman