you are home

mjd - 2016 - 'you are home' mala

with offering bowl

there is no where else to go,

there is no one else to be,

you are home.

mjd - 2016 - 'you are home'

there is no map for finding yourself.

you are already an inextinguishable light.

know that all you need to find inner peace

exists within you. 

mjd - 2016 - 'you are home' mala

with offering bowl

i am home

i am home

i am home

spoken 108 times must surely bring you closer to believing. 

the bowl hits around belly button level - or in the area of the sacral chakra. the place of compassion, emotional stability. 'i am home' demonstrates a confidence, a comfort in your own skin that allows you to be honest and open. 

more on light and darkness

mjd - 2015 - you are home 

sterling silver offering bowl

we navigate

through light and darkness,

only to realize

with a heart tenderized by years

that both are necessary

to the experience

and that anywhere

you stand and breathe

is home. 

lessons in faith

mjd - you are home 2015

lessons in faith.

for me

that means taking things in hand

in heart

in mind

and working it out,

aka,

doing.

not running

or delaying

or hiding

(i am good at these things).

isn't it funny

how we feel so very good when we do? 

so why isn't this our default, 
why do we self-sabotage?

i once read that henry fonda
got sick before every onstage performance

and that eleanor roosevelt
suffered from terrible insecurity.

let's keep at it.
the world is so much better off 
with the gifts of your labors
in it
(labors both seen and unseen)
and you are so much better off 
setting them
and yourself 
free.

you are home

his holiness the dalai lama and desmond tutu

in love - 

are you not always home?

when i saw this image this morning my heart filled near to bursting. the tenderness and love here (and, yes, joy) are palpable. 

i then read an article about the 4 great bodhisattva vows. there are interpretations based upon tradition - zen, mahayana, etc. and i found thich nhat hanh's to be a beautiful piece of writing (as always).

however innumerable beings are, i vow to meet them with kindness and interest.

however inexhaustible the states of suffering are, i vow to touch them with patience and love.

however immeasurable the dharmas are, i vow to explore them deeply.

however incomparable the mystery of interbeing, i vow to surrender to it freely.

mjd 2015 portable offering bowl 

there is no where else

to go.

there is no one else

to be. 

you are home.