“人間は泣きながら生まれてきたんだ。ながい人生だもの泣くこともあるさ。その度に生まれ変わるんだ、きっと。”

Awkwardness is natural when you don’t fit into the choreography of the consensus.

Meet awkwardness with mindfulness; keep your sense of humor but do not conform.

Be at ease amidst discomfort. You’re good.

Therein can be found a lovely balance between charming and subversive.

If we are completely present to whatever is arising, we can stretch beyond our self-imposed limits; we can endure what may seem unendurable.

- Shinge Roko Cherry Shayat Roshi

Today, I found myself heading to a Buddhist temple for an addiction recovery meeting and meditation session. Initially, I was overwhelmed with anxiety, my mind racing with all the ways things could go wrong. Why? Because the mind, though a powerful tool, is just that—a tool. It should be used only when needed; otherwise, it will create problems simply to justify its own activity, becoming an addiction in itself. As I made my way there, I became aware of the vibrations of the music resonating in my ears, the wind brushing against my face, the comfort of my seat—each moment was rich with joy. Yet, we so rarely tap into the immediate joy available to us in the present.

-Griff

“A Brief History of Us”

We are the universe trying to understand itself.