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A new dawn has arisen,
And a new day has been given
I shall focus on this day, and this day alone
And make the heart of this moment, into my home

Another chance to spread compassion,
An opportunity to be mindful of my actions
If I am aware, then how could I ever hurt another?
Suffering arises when we are viewed as separate from each other

Interconnected, is every living being
And with eyes closed, the sage is all seeing
The world is a stage, and this play but a dream
Now the dusk is here, yet this life is not as it seems.

I will throw your bombs into the sea
And I will sing the song of every dying tree
Until it echoes over high mountain and across vast terrain
Love and Peace are my names

As long as the sun shines and the skies rain
I shall remain
I shall remain
Love and Peace are my names

As long as blood courses through human veins
I shall remain
I shall remain
Love and Peace are my names

I will not fight for the pride of your country
And I will plead the plight of those left hungry
Until all of the children have received their fair share of grain
Love and Peace are my names

As long as the sun shines and the skies rain
I shall remain
I shall remain
Love and Peace are my names

As long as blood courses through human veins
I shall remain
I shall remain
Love and Peace are my names

I will not swallow the lies that you feed
And I will not fall victim to anger, jealousy, or greed
Until all beings are liberated, and freed from shackles and chains
Love and Peace are my names

As long as the sun shines and the skies rain
I shall remain
I shall remain
Love and Peace are my names

As long as blood courses through human veins
I shall remain
I shall remain
Love and Peace are my names

Today let us start afresh, for it is a brand new day
Please retire the sorrows and grief of yesterday
Today, the sun, joyously and gladly it also rises
And this day is full of its’ own glorious surprises.

That which has already been written, it cannot be changed
And the pages in this book of life, they cannot be rearranged
Let us, instead, write another verse, another chapter
For in the heart of this very moment lies eternal rapture

Sisters and brothers come together and hold hands
Let us love one another and cherish this land
This hallowed ground is not for us to keep
And what we sow is exactly what we reap.

When, oh when, will we ever learn?
To light the candle of love
It’s a slow burn
It’s a slow burn.

When, oh when, will we ever learn?
To light the candle of love
It’s a slow burn
It’s a slow burn.

Plant a seed and one day it will grow into a tree
Put the message in a bottle and cast it into the sea
These dark skies, they too are going to clear
Children of the sun, rejoice our time is here.

When, oh when, will we ever learn?
To light the candle of love
It’s a slow burn
It’s a slow burn.

When, oh when, will we ever learn?
To light the candle of love
It’s a slow burn
It’s a slow burn.

With serenity and patience let us observe the breath
In this very moment experiencing birth and death
From every ending springs forth a new beginning
Arising and passing, the sphere eternally spinning

Just as a caterpillar knows that it must enter the cocoon
And a newborn child knows that it must exit the womb
We too must leave behind all that we have come to know
Like blossoming flowers, this is the season for us to grow

In these times of rebirth we must joyously sing
For we have been blessed and life has granted us wings
In order that we may ascend to forever greater heights
Like the beautiful butterfly upon receiving the gift of flight

It is said that for the raindrop, joy is entering the river
The day will come when all waters are delivered
And they join together in the ocean of liberation
This day is here let us practice meditation.

All of these people and places
Scenes and faces
Keep on traveling by
They simply vanish in the blink of an eye

As much as I wish that I could stay
I really must continue and be on my way
Soaring through the open blue sky
A free bird that was born to fly

Many souls take many paths
But the goal is one and the same
In the sun we all laugh
And together we cry in the rain

Now and again I take a stroll down memory lane
Over the hills, into the valleys, and across the plains
I must admit I loved a starlit night spent dancing in the rain
With those twin sisters named pleasure and pain

I prefer a sober view of life now
Before the majesty of it all I bow
Those who are not humble will in turn be humbled
And en route this mountain top even the best climbers have stumbled

Striving for perfection can surely drive a man insane
But strive for less and you have strived in vain
There was a time when the pursuit of truth had me reading and studying constantly
Now my only aim is to live this moment consciously

In order that the hands of time may forever stop
And in the sands of time many a soul has been lost
Only to be found again when the time is right
My sweet darling, do you have some time tonight?

We can dance away to that place where time doesn’t exist
Have you ever in your life experienced a time like this?
When all things previously thought separate reveal themselves as one
And with your eyes closed you can gaze gently at the sun

Oh restless wanderers arise and let us take a path less traveled
Observe with wonder as the mysteries of life unravel
The journey that does not finish and does not start
Let us travel this course with love in our hearts

A love unconditional, a love that ever lasts
We give this love and nothing in return do we ask
For this love is in itself our greatest reward
On this path less traveled, love be our shepherd and our lord

Is anything in this world not transitory?
The bird, the sun, the morning glory
Patterns woven through the fabric of time and space
Oh mighty seamstress, how I love this place

Gladly we come again to do it all once more
Building sand castles by the shore
Until the sea comes to wash our castles away
My sweet love, maybe we will play again some other day

Does anything in this world everlast?
The sea, the wind, blades of grass
The eternal process of coming and going
Into itself the river of life is continually flowing

The Self within is the same as the Self without
This I say beyond a shadow of a doubt
There is no separation; we are all but only one
The Self that lies in the heart of man dwells also in the center of the sun

You neither condemn nor do you judge
Firmly rooted you do not budge
From your towering view high above
You observe the games we play with parental love

Providing us with shade from the heat
Oxygen to breathe and fruits to eat
A place for bugs to dwell and birds to nest
Children to play and a wanderer to rest

Branches swaying so gentle and free
Whichever way the wind blows you just let it be
Towards the sunlight is where you bend
I pay homage to you my enlightened friends

Trees.

Two birds in synchronous flight
In your voyage I partake with delight
Gliding through the air with such grace and ease
You fill my sails like a light autumn breeze

When winter comes I know that you will be gone
Yet in my heart memories of you live on
Soon it will be springtime and you shall return
With fresh songs to sing and new lessons to learn

In the springtime of my youth, I possessed that innate gift that all children possess at some age or another, for some length of time or another, in varying degrees, that glorious gift of being able to see the world with wonder. It is that gift that, as a child, allowed me to understand the language of birds and trees, of grasshoppers and bumblebees, of the wind and the river. Nearly all children possess this gift of communication with the natural world, this harmony and communion with everything that is truly alive. It is saved, however, for only the most rare and elect of individuals to sustain this natural ability and to retain this sacred gift, that of possessing the heart of a child, as they age and grow older.

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The five children wandered together through the forest walking paths. They had taken this route many times before yet today something about the place felt entirely different to each and every one of them. The boy in the front ran ahead then stumbled over a tree root as he rounded a corner in the trail. Upon rounding the corner he stopped dead in his tracks. The other four children immediately caught up to him and they too stopped dead in their tracks upon rounding the corner. The sight was nothing unusual per se yet there was something very unusual about this particular man who sat cross-legged underneath a large redwood tree.

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Ms. Gardner was a vibrant and highly attractive teacher. More than her looks, although she was absolutely gorgeous by any definition of the word, it was something else that attracted people to her. She possessed a special quality, an intangible halo of the spirit, a magnetic aura that drew in all those around her. Her walk was as swift and full of grace as an eagle in flight. Her smile was embedded with warmth that could melt icebergs. The diamonds in her eyes shone like stars in a perfectly clear night sky. One could not help but feel a certain love and respect for this vivacious young woman

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What was the secret? The old man lay on the fresh summer grass gazing at the silver and white clouds rolling by carelessly through the open blue sky. Brilliant orange rays from the midday sun peeked through the treetops and illuminated the meadow below. The scent of wildflowers filled the man’s nostrils as he gently stroked a hand through his scruffy gray beard and continued to gaze at the oceanic sky. A flock of white doves soared in unison above him creating a perfect V. The splendor of their flight enchanted the man as his mind drifted into a spell of reverie and he gently closed his eyes.

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“Who sees all beings in his own Self, and his own Self in all beings, loses all fear.” – The Upanishads

The morning sun pierced the canopy created by the treetops, illuminating the boy’s path as he ambled through the dense foliage. A songbird fell at the boy’s feet then fluttered its wings and landed several paces ahead of him. Once the boy had reached the new position of the bird then the bird repeated its action. Like this they traveled through the forest together. The boy was smiling elatedly and lost in a dreamlike state when he suddenly stopped in his tracks and gazed at the sight that his eyes beheld. He was staring at a man seated cross-legged underneath a large banyan tree directly in front of him. The man was no more than several paces from the boy. How had he not noticed the man earlier? The boy relaxed his gaze and observed the aura of the yogi. The holy man emitted a radiant golden light that was soothing to the eyes and to the spirit. This light enveloped the boy’s entire being. The man had long gray hair and a thick flowing gray beard. His brown skin was extremely rich and lustrous for someone so advanced in years. He sat perfectly motionless with his legs crossed, his eyes ever so slightly closed, his back straight as a rod, and his hands in his lap right over left with the palms facing upward. There was a certain sense of awareness about him. The boy cautiously approached the tree, sat at the feet of the master, closed his eyes, and imitated the yogi’s posture as best he could.

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Smile. The benefits of smiling are many. One benefit is that a smile can brighten up someone else’s day whether it is a friend or a stranger. Smiling is a language all to itself; it is a language of love. Think about the last time a stranger smiled at you and how you felt. Chances are that you felt pretty good. In the same way with a smile we can help other people feel good too.

When we smile we not only brighten up the day of someone else but we ourselves become happier. We begin to dwell in a state of love and inner peace. Think for yourself of the happiest people that you know. Do they not smile frequently? When we smile we radiate peace and love and people tend to become far more attracted to us than otherwise.

While we all would like to smile more, it is easy to get caught up in the routines and dilemmas of daily life and we often do not even take the time to smile. How then can we consciously develop this habit of smiling?

The renowned Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh offers some profound methods that can help us to remember how to smile. One such method is conscious breathing. We can mentally repeat: “Breathing in, I am calm. Breathing out, I smile.” Personally I find it easier to simplify the technique to mentally repeating the word “calm” with each in-breath and “smile” with each out-breath. Practicing in this manner for even five to ten minutes we automatically become calmer, increasingly present, and we smile naturally. Try it for yourself I guarantee that you will be surprised at how easily you smile and how amazing it feels. According to Hanh, “The source of a true smile is an awakened mind.”

Another method that Thich Nhat Hanh invites us to try is to hang a reminder in our rooms to smile when we wake up. This reminder can be a branch, a leaf, a painting, or some inspiring words. It can be anything as long as it carries the message to us to smile upon waking. We can hang this reminder in the window, above the bed, or anywhere where we will notice it upon waking. Smiling to begin the day can help us to approach the day with serenity and inner joy. After we develop the practice of smiling upon waking we will no longer need a reminder it will become a natural part of our daily lives. We will find that love and happiness have entered our lives and are there to greet us when we wake up in the morning.

There are also physiological benefits to smiling. When we smile we relax hundreds of muscles in our face. Smiling relieves stress and tension. Stress and tension tend to store themselves in our bodies and often times can result in our neck, shoulders, our back becoming increasingly tight and stiff. By smiling we release stress and tension thereby reducing the stiffness in these areas of the body.

These are just some of the many benefits of smiling. I sincerely hope that you will try the prescribed exercises for developing your smile. Just as a good body needs to be developed at the gym and a good mind developed by studying the same way a good smile needs to be developed through practice. According to Hanh, someone who is wearing a smile is showing a sign that they are masters of themselves. So please, become a master of yourself and smile.

Most of us wish to some extent to become more loving and compassionate people. Compassion is a virtue that is to be developed and cultivated through patient and sincere effort. It is important not just to have compassion for our family and friends but also to have compassion for those towards whom we feel negativity. Universal love is a concept that has been advocated by many spiritual teachers throughout history including Jesus Christ, The Buddha, and Lao Tzu to name but a few. In the Metta Sutta, The Buddha’s Discourse on Loving Kindness, it is said, “Just as a mother protects her child, her only child, with her very life, even so with a boundless heart of love let one cherish all living beings.”

Metta-Bhavana is a beautiful meditation practice that is used to develop universal love and compassion towards all beings. Metta-Bhavana when translated from Pali literally means ‘cultivating loving kindness.’ To begin practicing Metta-Bhavana find a quiet place where you can sit with your eyes closed. Begin by lightly observing the breath. Observe several breaths as they enter and exit the nostrils. Now visualize yourself in a happy state and mentally repeat several times ‘May I be happy’. When doing this we are sending love to and wishing goodwill upon ourselves. This principle of starting the practice by sending love and energy to one’s self is foundational to Metta-Bhavana. For how can a person who does not love themselves love anyone else?

Next, send goodwill and love towards someone who is very dear to you, usually a close family member. A parent, a child, a sibling, or spouse is a usual place for the Metta practice to flow. Visualize this person in a happy state and mentally repeat several times ‘May (name of the person) be happy’. After sending love and goodwill to this person for several moments allow the Metta to flow to the next person, usually again a very close family member. Send this love and goodwill to many people who are dear to you.

The next step is to send these same loving thoughts to a person towards whom you are more or less emotionally neutral. This person could be the mail carrier or the librarian or anybody towards whom you do not have either great feelings of affinity or animosity. Visualize this person in a happy state and mentally repeat several times ‘May (name of the person) be happy’. Continue in this manner with several such emotionally neutral people.

After sending positive vibrations to these people towards whom you are emotionally neutral the next step is to send these same loving wishes and thoughts to people towards whom you feel negative emotions such as anger, hate, or jealousy. Visualize one such person and mentally repeat several times ‘May (name of the person) be happy’. Continue with several such people. By sending the same thoughts of love and benevolence towards people whom one feels negativity, the Metta practitioner develops a very deep well of compassion and universal love. One should then send positive energy to the meditation teacher who has given this wonderful practice of Metta-Bhavana to the practitioner and then one’s own self again bringing the process full circle. Finally you can mentally repeat several times ‘May All Beings Be Happy’. Lightly observe the breath several more times to finish your round of practice.

A famous meditation teacher was once asked by a disciple, “What is meditation?” His answer was, “When one thought has finished before the next thought has arisen there is a gap is there not? The process of expanding that gap is meditation.” In my view this answer really captures the essence of meditation. By expanding the gap in between thoughts we can silence the mind and become increasingly present.

There are many different techniques of meditation, in this article the focus will be on a practice called Anapana-Sati which roughly translates from Pali (the language of the Buddhist scriptures) to mean ‘awareness of breathing’. Anapana-Sati is a practice used by Buddhist monks and lay people alike. It is this practice that many circles believe the Buddha was using when he attained enlightenment.

Anapana-Sati, as with the majority of meditation practices, is most effectively done in a sitting posture. It can be practiced equally well either sitting on the floor with legs crossed or sitting in a chair. The back should be erect but not stiff and the head in line with the spine. The neck and shoulders should be relaxed, the hands placed in the lap, right over left, with palms facing upwards. The eyes can either be closed or if this is uncomfortable they can be open and gazing at the tip of the nose. If sitting on the floor I strongly recommend the use of a firm cushion to provide support and leverage, this leverage makes it much easier for the spine to remain straight and helps prevent slumping.

To begin observe the breath as it enters and exits your nostrils. Observe the breath as you breathe in, now observe the space when the in breath has finished before the out breath has begun. Observe the breath as you breathe out, now observe the space when the out breath has finished before the next in breath has begun. In this manner observe the breath. Do not try to alter or regulate the breath in any way. Just be aware of the natural breath. With practice the texture of the breath will change of its own accord.

At first it may be difficult to maintain awareness of the breath. The mind will wander and begin to think of all sorts of things. Be aware that the mind is wandering and then gently yet firmly return your awareness to the breath. Do not identify with the mind and the various thoughts that arise, rather maintain a state of equanimity towards them and return to the breath as swiftly and diligently as possible. Become a detached observer who is always aware and alert.

In the beginning it is best to practice for ten to twenty minutes at a time, once or twice a day. Find a quiet place where you can meditate and a time that you can commit to on a regular basis. The most important thing, and I cannot emphasize this enough, is to be consistent and regular with your practice. Do not become frustrated if you experience difficulties rather continue your practice with serenity and patience. Over time you will find that your ability to meditate will gradually improve, your mind will become calmer and quieter and you will begin to experience the essence of meditation. In the words of the Buddha, “Just as a pitcher is filled with water by a steady stream of drops; likewise the wise person improves and achieves well-being a little at a time.”

“but it’s not now..” A meditation teacher used to frequently tell me this phrase when I would recount to him various thoughts and emotions that arose in my mind. At the time I thought that he didn’t care about any of the issues or problems that I was dealing with and that he was patronizing me. However now, nearly three years since that time, I am beginning to notice the wisdom in his words.

When the Buddha was asked why his disciples who live a simple and quiet life were always so cheerful he commented, “They have no regret over the past, nor do they brood over the future. They live in the present; therefore they are radiant.” To live in the present moment, to live fully in the present moment, is the only way to be truly happy and free from suffering. All suffering has its roots in various thoughts and emotions that arise in the mind. It is our attachment to these thoughts and emotions, our identification with the mind that causes suffering.

In his book The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle states that the mind cannot exist without a relationship to time. That is to say, the mind cannot exist without the past or without the future, any and every thought that arises will invariably be either a memory of the past or a desire or aversion to the future. Try it for yourself, watch your mind and see what the next thought is that arises.

What you will ultimately discover is that the mind does not exist in this moment. What then does exist when one lives in the moment? This is a state of pure being, a state of unbounded awareness. It is a state that many mystics refer to, conveniently enough, as no-mind. In this state of awareness one is fully conscious of the action that one is performing.

All of the actions that we perform on a daily basis can be done in this state of no-mind, in this state of pure and unbounded awareness. Whether we are eating or reading, walking or talking we are simply aware of the action we are performing at any given moment. My aforementioned teacher used to always stress this point that whatever action you are doing be aware of that action and that action alone, be present. This may sound simple enough but to be present is not an easy task by any means.

The following excerpt is taken from the book Zen Keys written by renowned Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh,

‘I remember a short conversation between the Buddha and a philosopher of his time.

“I have heard that Buddhism is a doctrine of enlightenment. What is your method? What do you practice everyday?”

“We walk, we eat, we wash ourselves, we sit down.”

“What is so special about that? Everyone walks, eats, washes, and sits down..”

“Sir, when we walk, we are aware that we are walking; when we eat, we are aware that we are eating..When others walk, eat, wash, or sit down, they are generally not aware of what they are doing.”

The question that is bound to arise now is how do I cultivate this state of no-mind, this state of present moment awareness. Begin right now; be fully present in this moment wherever you are whatever you are doing. Right Now. Next we will take a look at a meditation practice designed to cultivate present moment awareness.