“To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything, is to succumb to the violence of our times.”

-Thomas Merton

 

“Keep your heart clear and transparent, and you will never be bound. A single disturbed thought creates ten thousand distractions.”

-Ryokan

 

“When the moon of your mind becomes clouded over with confusion, you are searching around for the light outside.”

-Hozoin Inye

How can I find silence among this din humanity creates?

Not that fleeting, momentary quietude that we pass off as silence

But the deep, impenetrable silence of a mind at peace

Not moved by the little calamities of narrow men

Bent on conquest

The same stillness that once revealed to me

That there is nothing to conquer

Except this ceaseless clamor of the mind

 

 

peace, wayf

“I am sure everybody agrees that we need to overcome violence, but if we are to eliminate it completely, we must first analyze whether or not it has any value. From a strictly practical perspective, we find that on occasions violence indeed appears useful. We can solve a problem quickly with force. However, such success is often at the expense of the rights and welfare of others. As a result, even though one problem has been solved, the seed of another has been sown.

 

On the other hand, if your cause is supported by sound reasoning, there is no point in using violence. It is those who have no motive other than selfish desire and who cannot achieve their goal through logical reasoning who rely on force. Even when family and friends disagree, those with valid reasons can state them one after another and argue their case point by point, whereas those with little rational support soon fall prey to anger. Thus anger is not a sign of strength but of weakness.

 

Ultimately, it is important to examine our own motivation and that of our opponent. There are many kinds of violence and nonviolence, but we cannot distinguish them through external factors alone. If our motivation is negative, the action it produces is, in the deepest sense, violent, even though it may appear to be deceptively gentle. Conversely, if our motivation is sincere and positive but the circumstances require harsh behavior, essentially we are practicing nonviolence. No matter what the case may be, I feel that a compassionate concern for the well-being of others - not simply for oneself - is the sole justification for the use of force.”

-His Holiness, the Dalai Lama

 

 

To hear you whisper

That you love me

To hold your soft hand

To feel your warmth

As I embrace you

 

Two worlds collided not so long ago

And you took upon yourself my trials

And I likewise yours

And as we readied ourselves to face

These burdens and obstacles,

We spoke one word,

In unison:

 

“Together”

 

I am you, you are me

We are one; born from two

This beautiful union we share

Can not be torn

Can not be hindered

By man, nor by the outside world

 

I want to be your light

Your rock

Your nourishment

As you have been mine

I want to give back at least

A piece of the gift that you have given me

I want to see your beautiful smile

 

We dance together in a cosmos

Of ups and downs

But, as we traverse these peaks and valleys

As we face each new obstacle

We must always remember

The one word we speak, in unison:

 

“Together.”

 

I am you, and you me

Each thing that comes

Before us is ours to conquer

Take my hand so that I might

Feel the warm softness of your skin

As we continue ever onward through this veil of insecurity

 

Together.

 

 

 

 peace, wayf

Memphis, TN. from the banks of the Mississippi, the "American Nile"

 

O’, Memphis! You sparkling jewel of the “American Nile”

You opened your arms to the weary travelers who sought

Solace in your streets and redemption in your hot, steamy nights

Displaced and disjointed vagabonds looking for a home

From Clarksdale, Greenville, Indianola, and Friars’ Point they came

With songs of sadness, anger, and pain born from their trials

And you turned that dejection into a celebration

You gave that sadness a voice, and allowed it to become the

Lifeblood that coursed through your bustling streets

It took on a life nurtured by the fertile soil you were built upon

And it fed a people who had been too long starving

 

B.B. was just a prince then, but you turned him into a Monarch

Muddy passed through on his way to changing Chicago

And Rufus Walked the Dog up and down Beale Street

 

O’, Memphis! You shook the world with the voices you nurtured

You helped to heal a sick and festering wound that cut right through

The heart of America

You cradled a new life in your loving arms

And allowed it to sing freely

Your bright lights and smoky bars helped illuminate the trials

Of a people who may not have found their salvation without you

You gave voice to the American spirit for generations to come

 

Along came a King with shaking hips and snarling lips

To shake it up

The sadness turned to rebellion and got louder, faster

And then your voice floated

Down the Mississippi River

And across the ocean to a foreign land

Your songs sprang up anew in London and Liverpool

And came back home to you on jet planes

And you sat there sparkling like the Jewel you are

Waiting in welcome for these new voices

Singing your songs in a brand new way

 

It may seem we have forgotten you

But your spirit still permeates the youthful voices

In their cries of sadness and rebellion, hope and jubilation

Your backbeat is still there

Your heartbeat still sets the tempo

Your soil still nurtures American song

 

O’, Memphis! You sparkling jewel of the “American Nile”

 

 

 

peace, wayf