A Lotus on Fire: How a Buddhist Monk Ignited My Heart

The nature poem reminds me of when I was younger and used to dance and just celebrate being alive outside at night in my Zen Garden. The same joy I felt in the poem. The joy of being alive and part of the earth, the realization of that connectedness. Nicole Kristine Eidsvik, Private Journals

The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo.

and through everything and everyone. We tune into this flow of Love by simply being completely open and present. We can’t be present if our mind is too full of ourselves and our own thoughts. Somehow, this retreat and encounter with Thay have slowed me down, rewired my brain, and awakened my heart to this flow of Love that is beyond my rational und

In the middle of your dharma talk, you spoke about the lotus opening to the sunlight, and how powerful meditation on light is.

Invoking the energy of an enlightened being can set your practice on fire, bring sweetness to a dry meditation, and open you to the subtle, protective and transforming forces of the cosmos. Sally Kempton, Meditation for the Love of It

Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush alive with God, But only he who sees takes off his shoes. Elizabeth Barrett Browning,

Another one of my daily practices is to repeat the “Divine Light Invocation,” as taught by Swami Radha,9 a disciple of Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh.