Category: mindfulness

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

The Power of Gratitude

Gratitude is the antidote for all bitterness, resentment and hatred.

Next time you feel deep resentments towards a friend, family member or boss try to remember how grateful you are for them. Write it down and meditate on gratitude.

Liberation from all resentments is a joyful experience. When we hold onto resentment, bitterness and hatred we become ill. The only way to feel healthy again is to forgive others and express gratitude.

If someone is truly toxic to us we can still bow out and thank them for teaching us a lesson of what not to do. Gratitude does not mean excepting harmful behavior from others. We can walk away with gratitude and love for them.

Gratitude is a beautiful practice plus it’s free and available at any moment.

Your brother,

Johnny

The Infinite Source of Love

Look within your heart and mind

The healing source of infinite love is within you

Do not seek love outside of yourself

Look within

Seek only the barriers within your heart that keep you from its infinite source of healing

May we have the courage to dissolve these barriers and let the light of unconditional love vibrant through every cell of our body

With love

Johnny

Forgiveness

I forgive my family

I forgive society

I forgive the casino owners

I forgive the credit card companies

I forgive the government

I forgive myself

To truly forgive others and ourselves is to liberate ourselves from the burden of hatred that drags us down emotional and spiritually

It’s free and available if we have the courage to open our hearts and minds to forgiveness

Forgiveness is a gift we give to ourselves

I whole heartedly forgive all that have harmed me in the past, including myself

Your brother,

Johnny

The Revolutionary Message of Jesus

Jesus was a revolutionary
A revolutionary of unconditional love
Of radical peace
Anyone who speaks his name through the lens of fear, hatred or greed does not know his way

Jesus’s way is of the peaceful warrior
He knew that only unconditional love can bring peace to the world

Fear and violence will only continue our own suffering
Only unconditional love can save us
It can liberate us from all self-centeredness
His way can free us from the shackles of greed, hatred and fear
Resurrection is possible if we surrender as he did on the cross

We can be reborn each moment if we follow his way

We don’t need to be a Christian to follow Jesus’s message of unconditional love for all living beings

We only need to have an open mind and a compassionate heart

With love,

Johnny Hoffman

Question Everything

Question this blog post, leaders, religion, philosophy etc

Question everything and everyone

Question not with hatred

Question not to prove others wrong or you right

Question everything with a childlike curiosity

Is this true to you in our daily life?

Is it practical or possible?

Will this bring peace and love to ourselves and all living beings?

Let go of all bias and dogmas

Question everything with curiosity to find out the truth for yourself in your day to day lives

Most importantly, question yourself

Question your own beliefs and behaviors in the world and where they stem from

Are they serving you and others around you?

You might find out that most of your beliefs and opinions are from your parents, culture or government

They might be outdated or not helpful to you anymore

With love,

Johnny

Keep Your Eyes on God

On the spiritual path there are many obstacles diverting us off towards pleasure, money, or fame

Each time our eyes divert from God we must return them

If we can keep our eyes on our family, friends, coworkers, jobs, bank account, shopping, food, or pets we will be diverted off the path towards God.

We will be lost and afraid in the woods

Not knowing which way to go and suffer tremendously

It takes tremendous conviction to keep going on this path

But the rewards of inner peace, serenity and complete liberation are more precious than diamonds

The path towards God is liberation from all greed, hatred and fear

God brings many the gift of unconditional love which liberates us from all self-centeredness and fear

If we keep our eyes on God we have nothing to fear and our days will be filled more and more with love, joy, and inner peace

With love,

Johnny Hoffman

The Religion of Unconditional Love

My religion is brother and sister hood of all  beings

Our philosophy is unconditional love

Our goal is to bring peace within and around us through our actions each moment

We do not convert or force our views

We just keep our eyes on unconditional love

This is the philosophy of Jesus or Buddha without religious dogma or complex beliefs

We seek to build bridges instead of barriers to enter the Kingdom of God (unconditional love)

Anyone can join

Your brother,

Johnny Hoffman

Grace

May we all see each other through the eyes of compassion

May we love others

Especially those lost in hatred, greed and fear

They don’t understand the destructive nature of their ways

They need the healing power of love

So instead of fighting them or trying to prove that I’m right

Let me show them love through grace and compassion

With love,

Johnny

God’s Money

The money in my bank account is not my money

It’s God’s money

I’m just holding onto it temporarily

This revelation has liberated me from the destructive energy of greed

Because the money in my bank account was never

I can give it freely to those in need

I don’t need to cling to it out of fear

I can choose love by giving it away to the homeless and vulnerable

Thank you God for liberating me from selfishness and greed

With love,

Johnny