Category: taoism

Death before Death

To be truly alive

We must die before death

We must die of the notion of a separate self

We must die of our old ways of living

Burning down our old life and leaving no traces of ourselves

Completely letting go of who we once were

Through death we can be resurrected

Each moment we can be a time of revitalized and resurrection

Each day we can be reborn if we surrender to the power of unconditional love within our heart

Beyond Beliefs

Beyond all beliefs

There is a sanctuary

Let’s meet there

A land of no hatred

No dogma

No sinners

No fear

No religion

Only compassion for all beings

A kingdom of radical peace

A land of unconditional love for all, no matter how lost they are in the darkness of hatred and fear

Lets meet there right now on this beautiful planet

With love,

Johnny

Radical Acceptance

The paradox of behavior change is that once we radically accept ourselves as we are today, then we can change. Ignorance and pride are two main obstacles on this journey of radical acceptance and rebirth. Each day, each moment can be a time for rebirth and resurrection if we are dedicated to the path of transparency and love.

The Buddha said the root of all suffering is attachment. Attachment to wealth, status, pleasure but also attachment to ideas of ourselves as a separate individual self. We must wake up as a species to the ultimate reality of things. The truth of interbeing, that everyone and everything is connected deeply. The illusion of a separate self is a persistent one that must be dissolved for humanity to have true peace, liberation and joy. We are all brothers and sisters. If I harm you, I harm myself. Technology or willpower will not save us from self destruction, only true unconditional love can.

Ignorance is also a main obstacle towards liberation because we keep harming ourselves without truly understanding why. We must have the courage to look within ourselves for our ignorance to dissolve. Look deep within yourself and the cause of your suffering will come clear.

Positive reinforcement is key to behavioral change. We must not be harsh to ourselves but also not let ourselves off the hook. Radical acceptance is about deep love for ourselves, even the parts of us that feel like they are not worthy of love. Do not beat yourself up. Forgiveness is the way to true liberation and joy. Inner peace will not be created through violence and harshness but through radical acceptance and non violence.

With love,

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

Anxiety

Anxiety

The illness of our times

Our minds wander to the future

Grasping for control

Wanting to know what will happen

The truth is that the future is completely unwritten

Because of impermanence, anything is possible

Let’s stop trying to control the uncontrollable

If we want a better future, we must take care of the present moment

With aloha,

Johnny

Transformation

Transformation is all around us

But we don’t see it

A caterpillar turns to a butterfly

A seed to a flower

A cloud to rain

Humans have this ability as well

We have the ability to transform our suffering to joy

The ability to change & growth through challenging situations

Self Destruction

I was put on this earth for a reason

To reduce suffering

To bring joy to others

To see the oneness in everything

A wave realizing it’s the ocean

Energy flows within myself like an infinite river going out to sea

Many years ago, a dying star supernova gave life to myself & everything on earth

Life is precious according to me so why wait to become a better version of myself?

The time is now for change & growth

Why waste my one precious life harming myself?

Drowning myself in substances, junk food, and self destructive habits

I see my ego wanting to self destruct

All it wants is pleasure & to avoid pain

But I know I’m much more than my ego

I also have a divine Buddha sitting within myself

Patiently waiting

It doesn’t want to harm my ego, that would only feed the anger, hatred, and fear

It loves the darkest side of me with light of a billion stars

With aloha,

Johnny

Life & Death

Life & death are interconnected, not two separate concepts

The ultimate yin & yang of the cosmos

Each day cells are born & die in our own bodies

Death surrounds each moment of life
Without death there is no life
Breathing in I know I’m of the nature to grow old
Breathing out I know I will die one day
Knowing this noble truth I will enjoy this beautiful life that has been gifted to me
Each day is a new opportunity to pay gratitude to the universe
I will do my best to live a compassionate, peaceful, and loving life
I will not let fear, hatred or greed control my one life.

“To truly live, we must die each moment.” -Thich Nhat Hanh

With aloha,

Johnny

Flow

What comes

Let it come

What goes

Let it go

Embrace the impermanence of each moment

Stop clinging

Stop controlling

Start allowing

Start releasing

The world does not revolve around us

Flow with it & you will know peace

Fight it & you will know suffering

With aloha,

Johnny