Tag: writing

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

Returning to our Buddha Nature

The baby sees life through the lens of love

They see everything as a miracle

Curious about everything and everyone

They touch the divine each day without resistance

They touch the deepest reality

Greed, hatred and fear haven’t harmed them yet

Their mind practices non discrimination

They have their Buddha nature intact

So for us to enter the Kingdom of God

For us to experience Nirvana

We must return to our original mind

The original mind is the infinitely compassionate mind

This original mind can touch reality deeply

Forgive instantly & love unconditionally

It can experience true joy out of the ordinary

But for us to preserve the original compassionate mind, we need a higher Self to guide the inner child and protect it from the greed, hatred and fear in the world

So we need someone like Jesus to preserve our Buddha nature

Our original mind is the mind of Jesus

The mind of a Buddha

My life’s purpose is to “Live Buddha, live Christ”.

With Aloha,

Johnny

A Covid Christmas & New Year

What a fitting end to 2021

Isolated from the world

A whole family coughing into 2022

But we will survive this storm

Everything is impermanent

No need to worry or stress over things I can’t control

No need to worry about my finances, I have enough!

The end of the year is a great time to be grateful for what you have

I will not wish for more

I will not wish for good health

But for grace, determination, and dedication on this path less followed

With Aloha,

Johnny

Relax, Nothing is Under Control

The sun will rise
And set
Relax, nothing is under control

Days will go by
People will get sick
Loved ones will die

Jobs will be lost
People will cheat, lie, and push your buttons
Relax, nothing is under control

Our mission is to rise above and stay positive even in the darkest of times
Knowing that everything & everyone is impermanent

We can find joy by letting go of control of others and situations
All we can control is our reaction and attitude to the chaos around us
Resilience is built by not avoiding hard situations but by embracing them with love, compassion, and acceptance.

With aloha,

Johnny

Liberation

Let go of the need to be right
Let go of the need to control others
Let go of the need to control your surroundings
Allow others to be who they are
Allow situations to unfold without complaining or controlling anything
True liberation is found when we don’t allow outside situations to hinder our own happiness
True strength found in staying positive even in the most challenging situations

Your life is your message

With aloha,

Johnny

The Beauty of Impermanence.

Why do we only appreciate places, people, and pets when they are near their end?

Or worst off when they are already gone..

We know logically that all things must come to an end.

A sunrise will turn to sunset, leading to a new day.

Everything & everyone has a shelf life.

Could we feel Impermanence emotionally instead of purely logically?

Most run around ungrateful for life.

That life SHOULD be a certain way.

Instead of embracing the uncertainty.

And being grateful for what they have.

Many live as if they will never die.

Only to never truly live.

What if we could live each day knowing that our life and everything/everyone will end?

Would we cherish even the worst of pain?

Knowing that life itself is precious.

Gratitude is the antidote to anger & resentment.

Being mindful of the impermanence of life is key to enjoying what we have today.

Starting today we can build a better life for ourselves & the world around us.

With Aloha,

Johnny

Practicing Peace.

I recently went to a Vegfest in my local community. The food was great and overall the message was a positive one. A message that we can help stop climate change, transform our health, and vote with our wallets to stop cruelty against animals through eating a plant based diet. A few of the vegans were so angry at meat eaters though. One of the presenters went on an angry tangent about decapitated pigs heads at the grocery store. She yelled at the crowd that she couldn’t understand meat eaters(even though she ate these products most of her life). It was a friendly reminder to me that true compassion encompasses all beings, not just those who live the same way as you. The way of peace doesn’t condone violence but seeks to understand others instead of judge. True compassion encompasses Hitler, Stalin, and Charles Manson.

If we want others to be more peaceful we must be peaceful, it’s as simple as that. Maybe we could just focus on ourself, making our own life our message to others? Our message of peace will be watered down if we communicate in a violent way. Practicing non-violence is something MLK, Gandhi, Jesus, Buddha, and mother Theresa all agreed on. It’s something they wanted us to practice on a daily basis. The next time we complain about the world affairs we could ask ourself “how can we expect the world to be at peace if we aren’t?”

Focus within. One lit candle can light a thousand candles.

With Aloha,

Johnny Hoffman

Paving My Own Path.

Culture wants me a certain way

Break under the pressure

Bend my values

Ignore my instinct of compassion

Indulge my ego

Feed my darker side

How do I pave my own path with such pressure?

Constant flashing lights

Tell me to eat foods against my values of health & compassion

The talking heads on the screen tell me to fear the world

They have enticed me my entire life to choose greed, hatred, fear & apathy

Dividing me into a million labels

For me to fear the other

Not today

I will choose another path

Paved with compassion, understanding, & love

This is the path of the peaceful warrior

A path that doesn’t fight greed, anger, & hatred

It just focuses on growing peace by showing compassion, love, & understanding to all

True Compassion.

If you can show compassion to Hitler, Stalin, & Genghis Khan

You know true compassion

For compassion & love isn’t just for the innocent

But for those who harm other beings

Violence, judgment, & hatred will not bring peace

Only compassion will

Bring awareness that hatred lives within all human beings

Including ourself

If we truly want peace we must seek to understand

For love is the absence of judgment