Uradiance

Dostoyevsky wrote that the earth will be saved by beauty. I believe it, but I'm not convinced humans will be here to see it. Humanity may be a brief and furious experiment. The planet may sparkle more clearly without us. Consciousness may realize itself through some other species with far less violence and melodrama: dolphins perhaps, or hummingbirds... I do know this. In the little time I have left to taste earth's beauty, I will not be anxious. I will not be outraged. And I will try with all my soul not to whine. We waste far too much energy doing that, whether in the name of politics or prayer. Instead, I vow to savor this breath, to rest my mind in the heart, and to radiate love like a simple-minded flower. Art by Martin J. Heade

This body is not   just a house of dust but a wind-harp for the whisper of a stranger’s breath seeking friendship in your chest. As the evening breeze selects the pine, as a moonbeam chooses one trillium among ferns, that silent caress, so an ancient yearning chose your mother’s spine. How supple she was, undulating to receive you. When you agreed to her darkness, what were you wanting? A density of light? Isn’t it time to remember? Let your heart be pure listening now, and your body will become a song. Photo: Harmony, Inc.

99% of our suffering dissolves when we learn to observe our thoughts instead of believing them. Who is the witness of the mind? Who observes this thought arise and depart, without clicking 'like' or getting lost in an endless thread of commentary? The Witness of thought is not a thought, and cannot be known by thought. Gracefully transcending the mind, rest as boundless living silence, then return refreshed for action. This is the value of meditation. Pick up the intellect again and use it as a tool, but it doesn't use you. Dispel a thousand thoughts like clouds in the blue sky of awareness. But keep one sparkling jewel in your heart, the sun of pure love. The one who teaches you this transcendental art is truly your Friend. Photo by JSL Photography