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
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
No mud, no lotus
Thay you touched my heart & soul many times with your compassionate actions & words
Thank you for sharing your light upon me
Watering the seeds of compassion, peace & love within my mind
Teaching me that impermanence is what makes life so special
You have passed but I know you live on
No birth, no death
Your energy still flowing through the clouds, earth, water, and each one of us
Photo credit: Kelvin Cheuk Lotus in a Sea of Fire:Honoring Thích Nhất Hạnh Thích Nhất Hạnh, pronounced Tik-N’yat-Hawn, was a Vietnamese monk of the Zen tradition, part of the Mahayana branch of Buddhism. The first word in his name, Thích, is actually a title…
Thích Nhất Hạnh
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
Breathing in I see myself as water, flowing & flexible
Breathing out I see myself as a mountain, strong & stable
Breathing in I see myself as a flower, fresh & beautiful
Breathing out I see myself as space, free & vast
Water, flowing
Mountain, strong
Flower, fresh
Space, free
Breathe, enjoy
With aloha,
Johnny
Same song & dance
As I leave in the middle of the night
Regret
Sorrow
Same song & dance
Sex with another woman without commitment
Trying to fill the void
Fill the void in my heart
I must do better
I am home.
I have arrived.
Present in this moment.
Focused on my breathe.
Letting go of my attachments.
My fears & doubts.
I am home.
I have arrived.
In the now.
The ego whispers “you’re right”. Unchecked, our ego will lead us into hatred of anyone who different than us. Hatred cannot be stopped by more hatred. It’s a vicious unstoppable circle of ego, fear, and hatred. Without the light of peace, the circle is infinite. Apathy & fear fuel the ego. I believe compassion and love can bring humanity true peace. Does humanity really want peace though? That’s a million dollar question. If we truly want peace we have to be mindful of the ego and its tendency to label everything as “right” or “wrong”. Labeling is the first step to hatred and violence. Labeling isn’t always bad (foods, streets, colors, etc) but when we label our fellow humans we put them in boxes; which we then label “right” or “wrong”. This distorts reality and makes peace difficult.
Understanding is the first step towards peace.
Without understanding peace is not possible. This is why mindful listening is so important in peace talks. Understanding the suffering inside another is a skill we can develop with compassion. Understanding, compassion, and peace are intertwined at their core.
Do we truly want peace or to be right?
I see this in my fellow animal right’s activists. Well-intentioned people who let their ego blind them. They care more about being right than understanding meat eaters. They end up pushing their meat-eating brothers & sisters further from plant-based living; causing more violence in the world. We all have been guilty of letting our ego take control of a conversation. I intend to show true compassion to all living beings, even those who believe the exact opposite of me. How will they know peace if we don’t show them? MLK, Gandhi, Jesus, Buddha, and Mother Theresa all preached this message of peace.
Let’s start today by mindfully listening to others instead of allowing our ego to lead into hatred. If we truly want peace in this world we must live peacefully with all living beings. By living this way, we leave the world a better place than we arrived.
With Aloha,
Johnny Hoffman
The Narrow Path 