Tag: compassion

Many Streams, One Ocean

Many streams go to one ocean

Many paths to the mountain top

May we be liberated from religious dogma

May we be free to see the truth within all spiritual traditions

May we be curious and open minded

Like a child with a beginners mind

All we know is that we know nothing for certain

Pride, arrogance and closed mindedness keep us from seeing this beautiful truth

We don’t truly know what will happen to us when we die

We will never know what God truly is in this life time

All war and violence stems from believing we have the truth or that we are the chosen people

When discrimination and hatred enter the human heart, suffering and war are inevitable

May we stay humble and full of grace

Your brother,

Johnny

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

Letting Go of Old Identities

Today I fully let go of my old identity

I stand today liberated from any attachments to who I once was

I am reborn today

I am not a gambler

I am not a party boy

I am not a ladies man

God has granted me a new identity

A path of love

A path of compassion and forgiveness

My new identity is of a peaceful warrior

I am a poet

I am an adventurer into the unknown

I am a mystic

A follower of God’s unconditional love

Thank you, thank you 🙏

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

Mother Earth

How we look at Earth

Is how we look at women

Is our planet disposable or precious?

Is our mother earth here to be exploited or to be shown unconditional love?

Is earth just to produce for us or is she divine?

We must look at mother earth through the lens of unconditional love to see this.

The same goes for women.

Do we take for granted our Earth as we do our women?

Or do we pay gratitude and love to both?

With love,

Johnny

Love for Mankind

Some have given up on humanity and focus on our destructive nature

Some believe only will power and technology will save us from self
destruction

Some want to leave earth behind and escape into the sky

My truth is that humanity is worth
saving

Humanity is worth unconditional love

But we must return to little children once again to save ourselves from destruction

Children who haven’t closed their hearts to love

Only true unconditional love can save us

No amount of willpower or technology will save us from the greed, hatred and fear inside us

Only forgiveness, love, and radical nonviolence can liberate humanity

Don’t lose hope

Don’t close your hearts and become cynical

Keep your heart open to love as children do

Your brother,

Johnny

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