8 - 10 - 12

march 8 ~ 

sallie's death day..
'tis 7 years  since my mama's passing -
every single day not a wee moment goes by
without her gracious presence adorning my life..

all i am or ever hope to be,
i owe to my darling mother..
        ~ abe lincoln

alone again,
i will go on with my head bent down ~
knowing that love has become eternal
and on the long and difficult road,
the light of the sun and the moon
is still there to guide my way...
           ~thich nhat hanh

in the end, all you want 
is someone to long for you
when it comes time
to put you in the ground..
               ~ tea obreht - the tiger's wife

who would say the heart of a tiny blade of grass
could repay the sun for all the warmth of spring?
                  ~ meng chiao

march 10 ~

peace walk...
10 years it has been since i stepped out
to walk to california for peace and love..
o how i wanted to step by step traverse the
american soil..all the way across..
for the open hearted freedom of peace ..
the peace that passeth all understanding...

walking 107 to join scenic 101 
along the chehalis river 
put me on the edge
with many a lumber truck..
trucks/trees going forward
trees/trucks going back!

..i composed.. 
a walking tree song
which i sung to the hillsides 
that were shaved off and logged..
the land IS being re-forested
yet it looks/feels a bit of a mess..
there is an emptiness 
somewhere in my mid-heaven!

for earth day..22nd april..
it actually has a bit more bark to it
when one foot goes in front of the other..

o you trees; trees without trees..
o you trees; birds without trees..
o you trees; squirrels without trees..
o you trees; 'coons without trees..
o you trees; deer without trees..
o you trees; cougar without trees..
o you trees; elk without trees..
o you trees; fox without trees..
o you trees; cats without trees..
o you trees; humans without trees..
o you trees; trucks without trees..
o you trees; trees without trees..

it does get one down the road..
chanting as i walk..the river beside me..
sun and breeze..robin hopping in front to the tune..
quince blooming..strong smell of cedar.

always like to look back to the present moment..
remembering the expanse
of the explosion and implosion of my heart..
it was the time of my life..
yet..
i could go no further than i went..

we may become aware
that worldly concerns and distractions
keep us trapped in samsara -
we may feel an intense desire to be liberated from it...
then we find ourselves at the meeting point of two paths:
one leads to liberation,
and the other to the lesser destinies...
   ~dilgo khyentse rinpoche

SOLVITUR AMBULANDO
it is solved by walking
 ~ st. augustine

march 12 ~

buddha's day of miracles....
also known as chotul duchen ..

the story goes that many moons ago..
in the land of great compassion..
6 esteemed hindu sages  challenged
the buddha to a miracle duel..
or rather, a miracle sextet!

though the buddha was a humble
teacher of simplicity and austerity..
he thought it might be a good idea to let
a few miracles fly..to inspire, encourage and awaken
the great many that had arrived on the scene..
so indeed ..he let miracle after miracle..
fly, fly away..
and lo! he hit the jackpot..

it is said that the karmic affect of positive actions
are multiplied 100 million times on this most auspicious day!

do not run around after fame and gain
in the realm of sound and form.
not to run around is the continuous practice that 
has been transmitted person to person
by buddha ancestors.
mature hermits, beginning hermits, 
one person or half a person, 
i ask you to throw away myriad matters and conditions
and continuously practice the continuous practice of buddha ancestors.

continuous practice, day after day,
is the most appropriate way of expressing gratitude.
            ~ dogen zenji

much obliged i am ..
for mothers & movement & miracles...

3 sisters ..corn, beans & squash ~

respect one another,
support one another,
bring your gift to the world
&
receive the gifts of others,
and there will be enough for all...
                 ~ braiding sweetgrass

there are three gifts that the buddhist community recognizes ~
the gift of the material..
money, goods, etc..
the gift of the dharma...
the living, breathing, momentary truth
of the way things are..
the gift of fearlessness..
freeing another/protecting another
from lack of self-confidence,
bringing forward safety..

in a dialogue with a student and fellow yoga teacher..
she brought up her lack of confidence as a teacher,
though she was honored by many students,
by a company that had made her an ambassador,
& the recipient of many gifts to illustrate the forte
in her metier..

HHDL gave a teaching about cultivating self-confidence..
if we indeed embodied it, he offered, we would suffer no more..

really?

lack of confidence..diffidence..
is actually the ego knocking at the backdoor..
that's interesting!

what if:
we respected one another
supported one another,
brought forth our gifts
& graciously received the gifts of another..
where would lack of confidence fit in?

lack of confidence is known
for it's comparing, competitive spirit..
not as good as, different from, must be better than..

this all comes from the scarcity of not being enough..
simply by being who we are..

makes sense..
i go through snippets of dissing myself very whole-heartedly..
who the farnbang do i think i am..
teaching someone, anyone,  anything?

that comes from my ego-clinging to a self..
that needs to have more, be more, be better than..
it is a funky feeling and i don't like it taking up residence..
move out! please and thanks..

the moving van that takes it to the dump
is respect, support and the giving/receiving of gifts..

if i love one another,
feed one another..
i am feeding myself....
nourished by nourishing..
wisely selfish, the dalai lama tells us..

the beauty of the partnership (of the three sisters)
is that each plant does what it does in order
to increase its own growth..
but as it happens, when the individuals flourish,
so does the whole.

the most important thing each of us can know
is our unique gift and how to use it in the world.
individuality is cherished and nurtured, because, 
in order for the whole to flourish,
each of us has to be strong in who we are and
carry our gifts with conviction, so they can be shared by others...
in reciprocity, we fill our spirits...
                    ~ braiding sweetgrass