Kindness of Strangers

Beautifuls! Happy summer! As many of you may know, summer begins the crux of my reading. I’m a total cornball and even develop a summer reading list to savor in the hot days of summer after a good ride, run, tennis match or swim in the Lake. So, my latest read, “The Kindness of Strangers,” includes a preface from the Dalai Lama who encourages us to think about the many ways  our survival depends on the kindness of other sentient beings. It seems a perfect question to ponder in our exploration of “altruism,” this month of July.  We can begin with the very basic kindnesses we’ve all experienced from our parents who brought us into the world (weither known or unknown), the animals, plants and minerals that we consume to nourish and keep us alive, the sun that warms our earth and without which we could not exist....you can go down the rabbit hole very quickly. The question after the pondering is then, “why then in the middle (of life) should we not act kindly toward others?”

When exploring altruism, I hold to be true that kindness is a path of paying attention to the needs of others, being thankful for the many ways that we ourselves are supported and to wish with a noble heart, to return our good fortune with those whom we cross paths. It truly is a matter of common sense. What is done for me, benefits me and comes back as a benefit and blessing to others.

As another tidbit of interest, “The Kindness of Strangers,” posits that an altruistic act is most clearly defined as selfless when done for a complete stranger. Why? Our identity is unknown, thereby shadowing the need for approval or secondary benefit. Also, recipients of the kindness of strangers report that the acts, no matter how small, tend to be remembered and treasured. Why? For the exact same reasons, the motive is pure and without ulterior motive.

Loves, let’s get out there and keep our eyes peeled for the many ways to express kindness and allow the fuel of our own experiences of kindness to inspire us on this summery altruistic exploration!

Letting Go Of Ourselves

July presents the theme of “Altruism,” and the impulse of letting go of ourselves for the needs of another. Typically altruism is thought of as a heroic action and such stories of self sacrifice move our hearts and we may ask, if I were in a similar situation, how would I respond? Yet, is altruism something that can be practiced? Can we practice letting go of all the minutia and holding as foremost our love for one another?

Speaking of love ~ you all know my love of the poet Hafiz, here’s a poem he named for himself ~ that steps into the heart of “Altruism,”

Hafiz

It
Is all
Just a love contest
And I never
Lose.
Now you have another good reason
To spend more time
With
Me.

Hafiz also reminds that it is possible to receive love, care and comfort across space and time....

The Gift

Our
Union is like this:
You feel cold
So I reach for a blanket to cover
Our shivering feet.
A hunger comes into your body
So I run to my garden
And start digging potatoes.
You ask for a few words of comfort and guidance,
I quickly kneel at your side offering you
This whole book—
As a gift.
You ache with loneliness one night
So much you weep
And I say,
Here’s a rope,
Tie it around me.
Hafiz
Will be your companion
For life.

Altruism reaches beyond limits of body into the experience of another to cover the feet, feed the hunger, ease the ache of loneliness. In the dog days of summer may we find opportunities to experiment and play with practicing altruism and opening to love and care across space and time.

*selections of poetry taken from "The Gift," Poems by Hafiz, The Great Sufi Master, translated by Daniel Ladinsky

Storm Chaser Benjamin Franklin

Our IC theme for June is Nature as Medicine. Interestingly, I stumbled across a little tidbit of history related to dear Momma Nature ~ today in history (1752) Ben Franklin climbed to the top of a church steeple during a thunderstorm and let lose a kite on which was tied a metal key. He hoped that the key would act as a conduit and harness the power of lightning which he suspected was electricity. He was motivated by the desire to decrease the devastation he saw to neighbor and property when lightning struck.

Benjamin Franklin was reported to have chased storms on horseback. He was obsessed, some say, with the potential raw power inside thunder clouds. He lived in a time when candles were used for light and thus invented day-light savings time, calculating the many tons of wax preserved by the simple habit of, “early to bed, early to rise.”

When his kite experiment proved successful (his son bore witness), he constructed the lightning rod which did indeed attract and empty all harmful power into the earth rather than structures and human beings. Ben Franklin was thought of as a magician, able to control and eventually use, what were viewed as supernatural and godly forces. Can you imagine his bravery? That’s some powerful medicine!!!!

Ben Franklin is going into the Freedom Series category of our IC blog. Today, let’s contemplate and honor his unique relationship with the energy of our earth and his ability to literally harness it for the good of many. Earth bodhisatvha Ben Franklin, we bow to you!

Summer Mindfulness Retreat June 23, 2018

Loves! As we close out the cool Spring season, Lake Tahoe Mindfulness Community is thrilled to invite everyone to our Summer Retreat coming up in less than 2 weeks! We'll be celebrating the warming Solstice season with the theme, Nature as Medicine at our new temple location ~ as we followed Crissy Jory and The Studio Lake Tahoe to ~ 3200 Highway 50, Unit 5, otherwise known as Meyers Trading Post. Come spend the day in community and togetherness! Now, we're only a brief, luxurious walk to Paradise Park where we'll be flowing as a river during walking meditation. Retreat is time for us to soak up our spectacular Tahoe home, each other, and oh, yes...the yummy Vegan offerings. Please bring a light snack to share as we practice the art of nourishing our compassion for all living beings, and a plate, cup and utensil to eliminate waste. We look forward to discovering what Momma Tahoe Nature has in store on June 23! Facebook page for more information:
https://www.facebook.com/events/267177610689974/

Nature as Medicine

June IC theme of "Nature as Medicine" brought to mind a poem written a few years back. Nature is a healing balm, please enjoy....

River Cherith
© 2007 Karla Johnston, InnerConstellation.com

Sweet alarum
floats upon the air.
Churned earth mixing with wild roses
tells me you are here.

I walk on,
searching as I go.
A river, clear as crystal,
greets me.

I retire.
Don’t know if I should enter in.
So, sit upon the rocks, I do,
watching.

Soon,
I thirst.
Desire

loosens all inhibitions.

Into the river I go,
shedding skin that clings,
trying in vain
to weigh me down.

Turning toward the sun,
I slowly lower,
sink deeper and deeper
into your realm.

Unfastened cares
slide away.
Received and set apart,
I open and drink.

Inside and out,
refreshed and satisfied.
Only when I’m ready,
I rise.

Eyes alight,
see raven in a tree,
sitting on a crooked branch,
watching inquisitively.

Flying down,
she circles overhead,
fans doubt away
with wine-black wings.

“Feed me,” caw I.
I am but a fledgling.
Dark mother abides,
drops manna from the sky.

Opening wide,
sweet Mystery filters in.
Raucous noise
replaced with stillness.

Soaked in liquid sun,
I stand to go,
intimate
with revelation.

Right Action: Breathing Peace

On our continued journey of the Eightfold Path (to happiness J), I got to thinking about a key ingredient often pondered ~ breath as life. Without beloved breath we would not be alive, breath is our sustainer, oxygenator, the renewer of our entire systems. Breath feeds our organs, our muscles, our beautiful brains… and if we go longer than a few minutes without it, we cease to function.

It’s a fascinating discovery to look at how breath has played a central role in world religions. Christianity being a major religion in many households, we might remember the famous story of Jesus, having been crucified and buried, mysteriously appearing to the disciples with the following appeal, “Peace be with you…” When he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

How might it be to contemplate breath as a holy spirit which transmits peace and informs our actions?

In practicing mindfulness and the Eightfold Path (noted above), breath is paramount—the active ingredient which leads to concentration and insight. Breath is the holy spirit….

Breath, the Cornerstone
©2018 Karla Johnston, InnerConstellation.com

In…out
deep…slow.
I am peace,
love,
compassion,
peace.

Tie the silver cord and depend on it,
bob through ocean’s cresting waves:
In…out
deep…slow.
Below mind’s frenzied kinetics
resides abiding calm.

Peace
received.

Open Wide and Say, “Ahhhhhhh”

May theme of “Open” has been rich and full with the month’s culmination being a move into new Studio space for our practice community to enjoy and grow into. Lake Tahoe Mindfulness Community (LTMC) has actively beautified the new location, helping the amazing night owls Crissy Jory and her husband Jobe in packing, unpacking, scrubbing, patching, painting, pressure washing, taking down signs, equipment, lights, putting up shelves, stenciling and more. An enormous thank you to everyone for their sweat, muscle, creativity, love, care and devotion. We are opening, opening and opening some more.

This morning, I read a poem by Thich Nhat Hanh and this line touched me….

“If you ask me how much do I want,
I’ll tell you that I want it all.
This morning, you and I
And all men and women
Are flowing into the marvelous stream
Of oneness.”

May’s invitation is to open to new experiences, new spaces and deepen our practices. There is no limitation to the love, support, care and service we offer to our South Lake Tahoe community—we want it all—we are busting out like Spring time! Our sweet little Lotus Room has a new pond in which she’s growing, please come join us.