I was not aware of the moment when I first crossed the threshold of this life.
What was the power that made me open out into this vast mystery like a bud in the forest at midnight!
When in the morning I looked upon the light I felt in a moment that I was no stranger in this world, that the inscrutable without name and form had taken me in its arms in the form of my own mother.
Even so, in death the same unknown will appear as ever known to me. And because I love this life, I know I shall love death as well.
The child cries out when from the right breast the mother takes it away, in the very next moment to find in the left one its consolation.

From "Gitanjali" by the Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore.

My God here in this world I see so much suffering And we all need A life with more consequence I see war, misery, and sickness That breaks our hearts Because of this I implore you Illuminate the chief of this nation For us to have a world of peace With truth, love, and joy And the Earth to be a garden Blessed by the Virgin Marymore ...

Many of us worry about the situation of the world ... We feel that we are on the edge of time. As individuals, we feel helpless, despairing. The situation is to dangerous, injustice is so widespread, the danger is so close. In this kind of situation, if we panic, things will only become worse. We need to remain calm, to see clearly. Meditation is a means to be aware, and to try to help.

Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and everything we do and see. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it.more ...

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."more ...

When we encounter the paradox of life, the mind gets confused. There
is no trust and fear arises. We see pain and suffering, and the
tremendous beauty of life, collapse and rebirth, barbarism and
enlightment, fear and love. Naturally the mind is not at ease when
presented with this vision of reality. Here we need to make choices
between god and evil, and the choice always leaves us with more
choice. In the end, we can only follow one path in which there is no
choice.  When we trust and we are centered in the heart.more ...

It is not personal friendship that matters - although that is surely a positive expression of intelligence and love. Anything which is personal is limited. Instead know - the friend - that which brings togetherness in spirit with all beings. Love is all there is - when the friend is more than a person, it is in the heart of every being.

Carrying body and soul and embracing the one,
Can you avoid separation?
Attending fully and becoming supple,
Can you be as a newborn babe?
Washing and cleansing the primal vision,
Can you be without stain?
Loving all and ruling the country,
Can you be without cleverness?
Opening and closing the gates of heaven,
Can you play the role of woman?
Understanding and being open to all things,
Are you able to do nothing?
Giving birth and nourishing,
Bearing yet not possessing,
Working yet not taking credit,
Leading yet not dominating,
This is the Primal Virtue.

From Tao Te Ching ~ Lao Tsu

When one gives one's heart, it is a total action. And when you give your mind, it is a fragmentary action. And most of us give our minds to so many things. That is why we live a fragmentary life - thinking one thing and doing another; and we are torn, contradictory. To understand something, one must give not only one's mind but one's heart to it. -Krishnamurtijkrishnamurti.org

The essence of an ecosystem is that all things are interconnected. Understanding ecosystems, therefore leads us to understanding relationships. Understanding relationships is not easy for us, because it runs counter to the traditional scientific enterprise in Western culture. In science, we have been taught to measure and weigh things. But relationships cannot be measured and weighed; they need to be mapped. Adopting ecology rather than physics as the central model of scientific enquiry leads to a different view of the world. Instead of breaking things down to examine their most minute parts, we can study how these parts work together as a whole. In fact the principles of ecology can be seen as the principles of community. Fritjof Capra

I've learned that you cannot make someone love you.
All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.

I've learned that no matter how much I care,
some people just don't care back.

I've learned that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to,
doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.

I've learned that it takes years to build up trust,
and only seconds to destroy it.more ...