Light into the Darkness

Shine your light into the darkness

Shine love into the darkness of fear

Shine compassion into apathy

Shine forgiveness into vengeance

Shine mercy into ruthlessness

Shine humility into the darkness of pride

This is the way of true transformation

The light of unconditional love will always transform the darkness of fear, hatred, and greed

Nourishing the Seeds of Love

Today I will abandon all self centered ideas

I will abandon all greed, hatred, and fear within my heart

Empty my mind of selfishness

Instead I will only water the seeds of unconditional love, forgiveness, compassion and grace

I will water these seeds within me, other beings and the universe

Bringing transformation and joy to myself and to all living beings

Nourishing the planet with love with each step

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

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

Forgiveness

I forgive my family

I forgive society

I forgive the casino owners

I forgive the credit card companies

I forgive the government

I forgive myself

To truly forgive others and ourselves is to liberate ourselves from the burden of hatred that drags us down emotional and spiritually

It’s free and available if we have the courage to open our hearts and minds to forgiveness

Forgiveness is a gift we give to ourselves

I whole heartedly forgive all that have harmed me in the past, including myself

Your brother,

Johnny

What is Success?

It’s part of American culture to worship rich “successful” people. Who defines what is successful? Many famous celebrities with lots of money, power and fame commit suicide because they feel hallow inside. Many do illegal or hurtful things to become successful. I wouldn’t exchange my life with any celebrity or rich person! I feel like the most successful person in the world at times even with all the suffering I have gone through with my gambling addiction. I have a purpose & meaning to reduce suffering in the world through deep compassion, love, and forgiveness. Money could never buy that and often the obsession of money diverts us from finding our deeper purpose in the world.

Idol worship is not the way. It diverts us from the path of love, compassion, and forgiveness. It takes away our own self worth and puts a hierarchy in our mind. We are all equals in this universe. Don’t let society define what success is for you. Success for me is happiness, health, and helping others. I have had plenty of all three as of late. Thank you to everyone who helped me along the way.🙏🏼

With Aloha,

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