Tag: poetry

You Are a Miracle

You are a miracle

Many stars had to die for you to exist

Millions of your ancestors had to meet for you to smile

Many minerals, plants and animals had to die for you to be alive

The miracle of life is all around and within us at every moment

To touch the miracle of life is to touch the divinity of everything at once

A single cell becomes a human being

A single mustard seed sprouts into a massive tree

Housing many birds and other life forms

The practice of mindfulness is to get in touch with the miracle of life

Too often fear, hatred and greed keep us from this nourishing energy of love

If we can feel this spiritually

There is no fear or anguish

Only pure love and joy

With Aloha,

Johnny

Nirvana

We may celebrate our birthday as the day we were born but that’s not entirely true.

We came into this world at the creation of this universe

The matter in our body originated in that one eventful moment

Everything and everyone came from the same source

Whoever is reading this is my brother or sister

We even have non-human ancestors connecting us to other animals

So we truly are like stars dancing in the night sky

But through confusion, distracted and addiction we lose sight of our inner Buddha nature

To feel the oneness of everything emotionally is to feel Nirvana

It is our birthright to discover this ultimate reality

But we must learn to get our mind still through deep meditation

Anyone can become enlightened through their actions if they are dedicated to the middle path

With Aloha,

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

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

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

The Road to Recovery.

You have always been there for me

When I was lonely

When I was bored

When I was in pain

Relieving me of stress

Allowing me to focus

Stimulated my mind

Thank you for your attempts to distract me from my suffering

But I have to let you go

The momentary relief you give me leads to more suffering in the end

You will always be part of my story but it’s time to turn the page

It’s time to start a new chapter of self love & service to others

It’s a long road to recovery but it’s a worthwhile journey

The alternative is self destruction

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

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