Tag: peace

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

Heal Yourself, Heal the World

Looking at world affairs I can only come to one simple conclusion. Compassion, forgiveness and love are the only ways to heal ourselves and the planet. Violence will not end violence. Even our peace agreements are often not very peaceful. If we keep punishing each other we will keep suffering more misery. At the deepest level, hurting another person is to hurt yourself. New technology will not save us from the self destructive qualities of greed, hatred and fear that consume us.

If we take this model and apply it to our own individual life we can see a way out of our own suffering as well. Our mind doesn’t have to be a battlefield anymore but a beautiful sanctuary of healing. Through the power of compassion, love, and forgiveness we can heal any traumas from the past and live fully today without fear. We can develop a deep faith in something bigger than ourselves that keeps us grounded. We don’t have to be at war with ourselves ever again and we can be quite joyful at any moment. What would Jesus or the Buddha do? What would the best version of yourself do? They would forgive you and show deep love and compassion to even the most hurt and lost parts of you. 🙏🏻

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

Peace In Every Step

We don’t need to pick a side in war

This doesn’t mean we ignore the suffering, we must not be ignorant of the pain & suffering of war

Instead we can be on the side of peace & non-violence

This is a dangerous but courageous stance

Both sides might hate us but we must carry on to help reduce the suffering of war

Do not allow hatred and anger blind you

Use compassion instead of anger to fuel your activism

In order to bring true peace

We must not get attached to any ideology

Peace is not a hope

It’s a practice of non-violence, compassion, and love

Peace in every step

Peace in every breathe

By practicing peace in our daily affairs and speaking out against violence we help ensure a more compassionate and peaceful future for future generations

War will end eventually but by practicing peace we can work towards ending current wars sooner to reduce suffering

With aloha,

Johnny

The Gift of Suffering

Suffering has great wisdom

Suffering has hidden gems under the chaotic surface

Suffering & joy are two sides of the same coin

Left & right

Up & down

Suffering & joy

We cannot have one without the other

So smile at your inner most suffering

Sit with it with curiosity & compassion

The gifts of suffering will be found in this space of openness & self love

If we run from it or suppress our suffering, it will persist till our last breath

If we try to suppress our suffering through substances, we suppress our joy as well

So go home to your deepest pain

It has many lessons

It can be transformed to boundless joy & serenity if we learn the art of suffering

With aloha

Johnny

Service

Any path that isn’t for the betterment of others is not worth taking

Even if we find our spiritual path though Buddhism, Hinduism , Christianity, yoga, or transcendental meditation

Our practice is still driven by ego if the sole intention is to better ourselves

We must take what we learn on the yoga mat, church, mosque, or meditation cushion, roll up our sleeves and help others in our daily lives

Don’t discount even the smallest acts

Even a smile or a kind word to a stranger can significantly help others

Choose compassion over apathy

Love over fear

Curiosity instead of judgment

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

5 years Vegan

Veganism is not a diet
Not a weight loss strategy
My intention is not to reduce my carbon food print

It’s a radical shift in the way I look at non human animals
To see them as individuals with the capacity to feel pain, joy, and suffer
To harm them is to harm myself

5 years ago I vowed to look at all beings through the lens of compassion
To reduce suffering in the world by not supporting the exploitation of animals for food, clothing or entertainment
To practice peace in each meal

I don’t expect the world to understand or agree with my life choices
I understand many are not ready for this radical message of non violence

With aloha,

Johnny

What’s Good Or Bad?

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