When you practice the way
Cosmic truths will be revealed
And you will be liberated from all greed, hatred and fear
But what is the way?
Mercy for our enemies
Both inside and out
Radical non-violence
Turning our cheek to all violence
A complete surrender to unconditional love is required moment by moment
Our heart must be as light as a feather to walk the way
A complete faith in the power of love to guide us
At our core
We are holy
We are divine
We are one with God
One with love
At our core
We are Buddha’s
Born in the image of God
Even the harshest, violent and mean spirited people have love at their core
This is why we love our enemies and pray for them
This is why we turn the other cheek to violence and hatred
This is why we show grace, compassion and unconditional love to those lost in hatred and fear.
Your brother,
Johnny
May my enemies sleep well tonight
May they feel safe and loved
May they heal
May they be joyful like small children
For they are not my true enemy
My true enemy lies within my own greed, hatred and fear
With love,
Johnny
Softness will always prevail over harshness
Love will always prevail over fear
Peace over war
Like water washing over jagged rock
Unconditional love has the power to shape us with patience, humility and grace
May I empty myself to you God
So you can fill me with your divine love
May I empty myself of all self centered ideas
So you can fill me with your divine grace and humility
May I empty myself of all hatred, fear and greed
So you fill me with your infinite compassion
I empty myself to you God
I surrender to your unconditional love
The awakening of the Buddha was that he saw Buddha nature in everything
In Buddhist philosophy, Buddha-nature is the potential for all sentient beings to become a Buddha or the fact that all beings already have a pure buddha-essence within.
So the Buddha awakened to the ultimate reality of the universe
That every being is born with and has Buddha nature
Even if they are deeply lost in fear, greed, and hatred
Even if someone is violent
Even criminals, beggars, and addicts
All have the essence of Buddha nature
All are holy and are in the image of God
With this awakening we can help heal this world of much suffering
We can see every being as holy and our brother or sister
We can vow to reduce their suffering and look at them through the lens of compassion
With aloha,
Johnny
The Miracle of life
Is a seed of mustard
With water, soil, and sun
This tiny seed grows into a large tree
Giving food and shelter to many birds and insects
There are many miracles around us each day
Yet we can’t seem to them
With mindfulness we can see that a cloud is a miracle
It transforms into rain or snow
Giving us life through water and food
We are a miracle
From one cell to a trillion
We can only grasp this if we are still
Not distracted
Not striving
Living in the moment
Jesus spoke of the mustard seed
Just by being still we can see the Kingdom of God right now and it’s many miracles
With Aloha
Johnny
The Narrow Path 