Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

(59) 

I know I am solid and sound,
To me the converging objects of the universe perpetually flow,
All are written to me, and I must get what the writing means.

(62)

I am not the poet of goodness only, I do not decline to be the poet of wickedness also. 

allow peace to be the way
breathing, the rhythm
mind, empty
heart, whole.

allow love to be the practice
of peace
for love is expressing peace
and understanding
of yourself
so much so
that you have the ability
to share it with someone else
in a beautifully delicate
affectionate 
way.

I cannot think of a much more human quality
than to feel perpetually compelled to express.

beginning

this marks the first day of reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
I'm really quite enchanted already, and I've only read the introduction thus far
it's written in such an effortlessly beautiful way
the ideas seem to connect like puzzle pieces of soul mates
perfectly together
unmistakably
whole heartedly
yes.
everything feels very meant to happen right now,
as it always does.
just this moment, in the midst of writing
it always seems very surreal. like my bedroom has this sort of vivid essence about itself
I love this perpetual realizing of all
consciousness is only to become even more heightened
through the reading of this guide to enlightenment.
and while I feel enlightened already,
for the simple understanding I feel
and love I possess 
for all
I know I can only grow into something more beautiful
I used to think life was a gradual progression into death
but really
it is to be thought of as an ongoing growth of oneself
keep on
keeping on.
feel eternal 
and dream with your soul's vulnerability entirely present.

I am so in love with being in love. 

in full

honesty
sincerity
passion
rest
undefinable
dreams
untold
nostalgic
nothingness
wicked
vast
emptiness
feeling
unity
collapse

breath
creating
space of mind
gentleness
pouring (water)
vertebrae
delicate 
whispers
lingering, wandering

sounds of us

love
life
nature

embody

concentration of mind
reveals the truth of humanity

this truth, the existence of our divine soul.
the beauty it possesses? 
to embody endless forms

we could declare this the root to our inevitable suffering
the idea of having lived prior lives
and made countless memories 
the universal longing to perpetually hold on -
it is this idea of
having to forget all from before
we find beautiful, yet tragic
it almost seems as though
we remember 
to forget
we love to 
feel lost
we express 
to feel empty
we create
to understand

complexities within a realm of incomprehensible simplicity
allows us to endlessly wander
within our minds
each decision we make, to do something
results in something entirely meant to be
nothing lacks purpose
with each soul so unique
imagining the absence of one we love
is impossible
yet we know someday -
sometime in the endless future
or perhaps floating around in our beginningless past
lies the deepest feelings ever felt
lies these feelings in their purest form, 
an ungraspable energy
and when we claim to feel upon our skin
it is only because of the touching of the soul
do we feel.

perhaps, this divine soul of ours, exists simply to feel.
and while we feel so full of emotion and entwinement
it amounts to nothing
(this we call, our perpetual cycle of being)
understanding the significance of the existence of our 
self.
this, we call, life.

"That's what Buddhism has been trying to unravel - the mechanism of happiness and suffering. It is a science of the mind."

- Matthieu Ricard

winds of mind

I think I'm beginning to feel the truth
of my mind
the clarity of thought
and actions
of control of my Self
of allowing patience
and kindness
and stillness
to resonate within.
quieting my mind
feeling this truth!
and oh
how awakening 'tis!
breathing, breathing
I am feeling
deciding
understanding
I am living
wondering 
inventing
I am creating

it is a journey in which we travel
to find this vast emptiness of thought
this emptiness encompassing all
all being the infinite unity
existing around us
unity creating space
space creating nothing
nothing creation a vast something
a vast something?
love.

love is this warmth of energy
goodness in its purest form
clarity of mind
of thought
state of rest 
where the Self can feel peace
tranquility can settle
permeating throughout
emptying of darkness
filling with light

there is a wind
unlike any I've ever once felt
it stirs up the trees from their stillness
it wreaks havoc in the most calm of places
the wind blows once we lose sight of the Self
of the conscious being we are
of thought, of surroundings
once the mind grows unthought of,
this wind blows.
and during the wind we grow flustered
unaware of mind
incapable of handling
the happening.
and once the wind ceases
the air returns to stillness
and we are focused
on our being
again. 
with each wind, we reach an unclimbed height
of mind.
we see clearly as we have never before
the wind brings along
those thoughts unwanted, unneeded 
allowing them to decay
someplace else

meditative findings

(the mind seeking a sense of identity through the world of form and action)

Once you realize that nothing you can do, behold, or obtain can possibly add anything to who you already are, your only wish is to go inward and discover who that is

. . .

Most teenagers are high-strung and desire entertainment rather than relaxation. The difference is that entertainment is just a distraction from your suffering whereas wakeful relaxation is a way to digest suffering. 

(hindu centric)


"Be aware of your breathing. Notice how this takes attention away from your thinking and creates space."

- The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

(so the most basic work for peace is to return to ourselves and create harmony among the elements within us - our feelings, our perceptions, and our mental states. That is why the practice of meditation, looking deeply, is so important)
- Thich Nhat Hanh, Living Buddha, Living Christ