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If your heart isn't yet illuminedBe awake always, be a seeker of the heart,Be at war continually with your carnal soul.But if your heart is already awakened,Sleep peacefully, sleep in the arms of Love

~Rumi

Today marks a month since my mom's passing; I have deeply felt my mom's love, sometimes to the point of tears. Her guidance is palpable, I was blessed to have seen her spirit rise and dissolve while leaving her material vessel behind, it was an honor that left me in awe.

My first encounter with death was at age 8 when my paternal grandmother collapsed, followed by my father's fatal car accident less than six months later. I've often fantasized that my mom's Alzheimer's was a gradual departure, drop by drop, sparing us the abrupt violence one experiences from a sudden death. I see this as a generous gesture.

Life and death intertwine, much like dark and light, day and night. Our grounding in electromagnetic fields mirrors the integration of these opposites, shaping our unique existence as it emerges in the now moment.

On what would have been Thây's (Thich Nhat Hanh) 97th birthday today, I reflect on the threefold training I received as one of many of his direct disciples. Embracing Buddhahood, I cultivated it through —ethics, meditation, and wisdom. Ethical practices forged a direct connection, fostering awareness in my speech, mindfulness in actions, and embodiment of the right livelihood.

As a layperson, I made my meditation the center of this mindfulness action. One can meditate while walking, standing, eating, and listening, every action in the present moment is a meditation in itself that leads to awareness. Wisdom may be experienced when one is one with nature, integrating the polarities that present themself as triggers, or attachments, a fusion or unity necessary to overcome the false duality of the world of appearances in the striving toward spiritual awakening or living by one’s truth.

In the middle way (Madhyama-pratipadā), integration prevails. Sacrifice transforms into a state of grace, joy, and understanding. The tears I shed are an expression of the pure love I feel for my mother, her spirit residing within me. It is the same kind of joy I feel when I am connected to the spirit of humanity.

Amidst humanity's suffering, and the current carnage that unfolds, my offerings are full of attentiveness and there is an unwavering devotion to living with compassion and understanding, steering clear of further polarized events.

I don’t need to sacrifice anything for I am offering my true self at all times.

"May all beings be happy, free from pain, living with ease. May all beings be free."

[…] Thây emphasizes smiling, friendship, the beauty of nature, warmth, hugging, and identifying the positive qualities in ourselves, our friends, and our lives. The mind is full of habits: sometimes we are unhappy because our mind is focused on unhappy experiences or fears about the future. We fail to see that suffering is often the result of wrong perception. By focusing on and practicing positive states of mind, we encourage our own mind to make new habits and transform our lives.

Buddhist practice provides a form of fitness for the mind: if, when you are running to catch the post, you find yourself out of breath, you might decide to undertake a program of exercises to give yourself the sort of body you want to have. This fitness program teaches us the skills to limit the damage of negative energies, and to have the sort of mind that we want to have. In short, to free ourselves from the prison of negative habits.

Thây teaches us to regard words merely as useful conventions rather than getting caught up in the dogma of concepts and notions, and rather than generalizing and abstracting, it is better to speak from our own direct experience.

~Plum Village Community of Interbeing Manual