May all beings feel love
May all beings feel liberated
May all beings be at peace
Their lives are miracles of the cosmos
I vow to reduce suffering in the world
I will not support any violence in the world
In my words or actions
Category: poetry
Transforming Suffering into Joy
Some naively want to live in a world with no suffering
Only pure bliss
This is understandable but a dangerous idea
For without suffering there is no compassion
And with no compassion there is no true joy
Suffering and joy are two sides of the same coin
We don’t need to fear suffering
We can transform it into pure joy
When we embrace our suffering with pure compassion we can transform it into true joy
We must take Jesus’s message internally for this transformation to truly happen
Through mindfulness and compassion we can embrace the most hurt parts of ourselves with loving tenderness
We must accept that suffering is a natural part of life
But we don’t need to dwell in it and suffer unnecessarily
We can transform suffering into pure joy
By living like Jesus or the Buddha we can transform the darkness into light
Many look for miracles yet nothing is as profound as the healing nature of unconditional love
With love,
Johnny
You Are a Miracle
You are a miracle
Many stars had to die for you to exist
Millions of your ancestors had to meet for you to smile
Many minerals, plants and animals had to die for you to be alive
The miracle of life is all around and within us at every moment
To touch the miracle of life is to touch the divinity of everything at once
A single cell becomes a human being
A single mustard seed sprouts into a massive tree
Housing many birds and other life forms
The practice of mindfulness is to get in touch with the miracle of life
Too often fear, hatred and greed keep us from this nourishing energy of love
If we can feel this spiritually
There is no fear or anguish
Only pure love and joy
With Aloha,
Johnny
The Ultimate Reality
What a blessing it is to be alive!!
You might know me as Johnny Hoffman, as some separate person but I am much more than that.
Look deeper and you will see the ultimate reality of me.
I am my ancestors
I am the soil
I am a cloud
I am the sun
For without these I would not exist
So whenever you feel lost or alone just know you are not separate from the universe.
You and I are made up of our ancestors, stars, soil, clouds, and rivers. Without them we would not exist. This is the ultimate reality of things.
You are my brother or sister
To feel this at a deep level is to awaken to our Buddha nature and help others who still suffer
So when someone looks at a cloud 100 years from now they may see me again 🙏🏼☁️
With aloha,
Johnny
Walking Away Peacefully in the Night
Alcohol scarred my childhood
I have lost close friends to it
Alcohol has slowly consumed many of my family and friends
I even had close calls with alcohol overdose in my university years
Yet I will not judge or hate alcohol
I knew 7 years ago that one day I would walk away from alcohol and the destruction it cases
Today I will choose to walk away peacefully in the night
With aloha
Johnny
The Hurt Child Within
Behind every broken man or woman
Is a hurt child
Crying for help
This child needs our love
It needs tender care
This child needs our compassion
To heal from the deep pain it feels inside
We must remember this when encountering others
Behind every criminal or addict, is a hurt child
The most violent and destructive people are the most wounded
It is easy to show compassion to the vulnerable but it’s much harder to show it our enemies
But to preserve the deep compassion in our hearts we must show understanding to those who harms others
They suffer deeply
We don’t condone harmful behavior
But we don’t need our judgement or more punishment
They need our deep love and compassion
With aloha,
Johnny Hoffman
Living Buddha, Living Christ
Knowledge is not enough
Beliefs are not enough
Wise men like Jesus & the Buddha taught that we must practice compassion, forgiveness, peace and love in our daily actions
This is the way to transform, heal ourselves and the world
We all have the deep capacity to live like them
May 2024 bring you the healing power of love
May it bring you joy from practicing deep compassion for yourself and others
May it bring you transformation
It’s never too late to resurrect your life
With love,
Johnny
Legacy
My life is impermanent
Knowing this, I vow to live deeply each day
Love unconditionally
Have deep compassion for all, even those who harm others
Forgive anyone who has harmed me
Including myself
Let this be my legacy
My legacy will not have dollar signs or job titles
My legacy is not purely words
But my actions
With Aloha,
Johnny
Instrument of Love
God of my understanding
Use me as your instrument of love
Where there is violence
May I practice peace
Where there is apathy
Compassion
Where there is doubt
Faith
Thank you for the gift of life
To show gratitude
I will practice compassion, love, forgiveness and grace to the best of my abilities
With aloha,
Johnny
Healing
For too long we have ignored our suffering
For too long we have abused our suffering
Through this endless cycle of neglect & abuse
Our suffering grows stronger
Our addictions become more intense
The pain deep in our heart is calling out for us
It needs compassion
It needs the healing nature of forgiveness
The darkest parts of us need the tender care of loving kindness in order to transform
When we learn how to suffer
We suffer much less
So go home to your suffering
Do not ignore or abuse the hurt parts
Show compassion, love and forgiveness to them
With aloha,
Johnny
The Narrow Path 