The world seems to be upside down but do not be distressed.
True love will always overcome hatred, fear, and violence like water smoothing out sharp rocks.
True love does not shape the world by force but through persistence, compassion, grace, and patience.
The light will always transform darkness.
Love will always transform fear.
Do not let this world drag you into the darkness. Focus on the light within you and be the lighthouse shining into the darkness.
🙏🏻
-Johnny Hoffman
In this moment
I feel God’s infinite love healing me from the inside
In this moment, there is a deep joy and peace within my heart
A serenity and calming presence within my soul
All I had to do was surrender everything to God
Surrender my fears and doubts
Surrender alcohol and binge eating
Surrender my pride and arrogance
And he gives the gifts of unconditional love and heals my suffering
Bringing me liberation and joy
With gratitude,
Johnny
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
What’s truly good or bad?
Thanks to impermanence everything changes.
My darkest times have led to moments of liberation, joy, and enlightenment
So I don’t know if it was bad or good when I have self destructed in previous relationships or with my gambling addiction.
When things appeared to be falling apart they were really falling in place.
In the dark, there is some light
In the wrong, there is some right
Every storms runs out of power, the trick is to not run from it
Embrace the darkness & allow it to transform you into someone you couldn’t of imagined
As my teacher Thich Nhat Hanh said..
No mud, no lotus
Through deep suffering there is joy
With aloha,
Johnny
From my experience, our suffering can bring much joy
But we must sit with the pain even when we want to run from it
For us to transform, we must get to know the darkest parts of our mind.
Sit with our demons until they don’t scare us anymore
Show compassion & love to the darkest parts of our soul
Surrender to the reality in front of you
Do not fight or run
Sit still & get to know them
They will always be there
But our mind can be a sanctuary, even with the demons; not a warzone
With aloha,
Johnny
Here I lay
Listening to the soft voice of a yin yoga teacher
In a deep meditation
An American backpacker in a distant land
Byron Bay is the perfect place for those who are searching for self knowledge
A place to heal emotional wounds.
So here I lay in a dark yoga studio
Suddenly tears come down my cheeks
My inner Buddha speaking clearly without the distractions interfering
If I don’t let go of gambling
I let go of my dreams
I let go of my happiness & freedom
My life will read as a tragedy if I don’t change my ways
I’m 6 weeks sober from gambling
Turning my life around 1 day at a time
With aloha,
Johnny Hoffman
I can always find something wrong
Something to worry about
Complain about
My mind is gifted at causing my own suffering
Untrained & disobedient
It drifts from lane to lane
Speeding at 130mph down the highway
Out of control
Rarely grateful
Often a victim
Always right
All else is wrong
Happiness always found around the corner
Grand delusions of
Discipline, commitment, and focus
Today I can make an effort to pave this new path
If not now
Then when?
When we are lost
When we hit the lowest of lows
There is always light
Light within us
Surrounding us at every moment
Let the wind dry your tears
For every storm will pass
The sun will rise once more
Bringing light into the darkness
Through the darkness, we shall rise
Rise like the sun
Bringing light into the darkness
For we are all holy men & women
Lost in the sea of fear
We have forgotten our true nature
Of compassion & love
We are disoriented by distraction
Haunted by our past
Paralyzed by the path unknown ahead of us
We cling to material wealth & status
Fearful to take risks for the true life we desire
So how do we begin this journey?
Don’t worry
The answer lies within you
Good luck
Peace
Violence
Live within all of us
Feed the peace
Acknowledge the violence
Shed light into it
For peace grows with peace
Water the seed of peace
With compassion & understanding
Love the dark side
Show it loving kindness
Join me if you chose
In the army of love
Soldiers of peace
Compassion & understanding
As our weapons
We are peaceful warriors
Sheding light into the darkness
The Narrow Path 