Sitting here in this still calm place I am suddenly reminded of a lesson I was taught once that even though I do not understand why I feel that it is important to share it with you all. who knows maybe it is just what your looking for.

a few years ago my father brought me to the Samudrabadra Kadampa Buddhist Center for the first time after we moved to America.
I was having trouble adjusting to my new life since I was now in a completely unfamiliar place.
I felt that I did not fit in, i felt that know one could understand me and truth be told i felt very alone since no one could sign I felt that I was unable to make friends.

after a few weeks of my father dragging me to temple every day and me resisting as much as possible because i did not want to crawl out of my whole (bedroom) I had imprisoned myself in one of the monks i had seen in temple came and sat down by me.
At first he made no attempt to communicate with me he simply sad in a rather odd meditation style.
After a few minuets he looked down at me and he reached out and tapped me on my leg twice to get my attention when i looked up at him he raised his hands and began to sign .. it was crude and you could tell he was just learning but he began to say something to me and i guess at the time i did not understand it completely but over the last couple years it begins to make more and more since.

Every ray of light comes from a source
light can shine and cover they whole earth from only one source.
when we allow ourselves to shine we too can touch many people.
be the source of light.
you were made to shine.

Every now and then i see him at temple and he will sign to me since he has gotten much much better at it.
At the time I felt the lesson i needed to learn was that I should not be upset at this new life i should be embracing it so I did and now i am in love with this country and all my new friends and my job and everything..
However I continue to learn from this short teaching and every day I learn something new from it as though it is they first time I have heard it.

today as i think back on that teaching i realize that I am a source of light .. we all are.. and it is our job to shine on those who are in a dark place.
your light must be shared ... as my favorite quotes says ...

"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."

Understanding makes Compassion possible

Understanding is the substance out of which we fabricate compassion. What kind of understanding am i talking about? it is the understanding that the other person suffers too. When we suffer we tend to believe that we are the victims of other people that we are the only ones who suffer.
That is not true - the other person also suffers. He/ she has their difficulties, fears and worries too. If we could only see the pain within them we would begin to understand them. Once understanding is present compassion becomes possible.
Do we have enough time to look into the condition of the other person? the other person may be someone you know well or have only known for a short time. If we look we can see that there is allot of suffering with them at that moment. Maybe they do not know how to handle their suffering. Maybe they allow suffering to grow because they do not know how to handle it, and this makes them and other people around them suffer.
This is the kind of awareness or mindfulness you begin to understand and understanding will give rise to your compassion. with compassion in you you will suffer much less and you will be motivated by a desire to do something or not do something so that the other person or people around you may suffer less or be uplifted and helping them to bring them out of their suffering.
your way of looking or smiling at someone may help them suffer less and give them faith and compassion.
I would describe my practice as the practice of cultivating compassion, but i know that compassion is not possible without understanding and understanding is possible only if you have time to look deeply.
Meditation means to look deeply in order to understand.
In the monastery and temple where i go to pray and meditate we have plenty of time to do the work and look deeply.
in our lives we also have plenty of time if we make it.
Practice looking deeply so that compassion can grow as a liberating factor in your life and practice looking deeply to develop compassion for other around you even those who you may not see eye to eye with.
I think that if one or ten or twenty of you practice compassionate looking you can transform this place in no time at all.
you can bring paradise right here.
for me paradise is a place where there is compassion.
When there is compassion in your heart you need only to breathe in and out and look deeply and understanding will come.
you will understand yourself and become compassionate toward yourself you will know how to handle your suffering and take care of yourself. Then you will be able to help other people do the same and compassion will grow between us all. This is very true and it can be that you have more opportunity to practice than you may think.
what do you think?

Throwing away Negativity

have you ever spoken to someone who through out the entire conversation says words an says things to make you feel as less of a person or to making themselves seem better than you or they just trying to making you feel small.
This is a prime example of what I like to call "Forceful Negativity" and it can sneak up on you an really ruin the moment or even your day if you let it.
These people are simply full of anger and darkness and wish only to make those around them feel the same way they do.

Today i speek with someone like this an i began to feel anger an hostility to this person an it was in this moment I remember one of they great lessons of my life.

“When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That's the message he is sending.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh

while in meditation i search deep inside to find peace with this words and this attitude that is used against me today and i was able to see the hurt in the words and the need in the actions of this person.

Let us not blacken hour hearts in anger against people who offend us but instead open our hearts to them and be a beacon in the darkness they swim in.
Let us not run away and say " i will never speaking to this person again" but instead say "If i should be anywhere it is where i can be of they most help"
Let us push away this Negativity and fill ourselves with compassion , hope and peace that we may shine it on everyone we meet.
As a ship in they storm searches for a tiny light in the darkness let us be this light.
this is the way and they path that leads only to calm and peace :D
I am happy to have spoken with this person today for now i can see they need friends and more then anything they need compassion.

what a great day it is when they sun forces its way through the dark clouds and shines down to warm the earth.

Finding peace in the Chaos

The Darkness is more than I can take.
I find myself fighting against fading light.
Do not take this from me.

I lay my head in my hands and let the rain fall.
the drops feel good against my skin.
I am reminded of the simple beauty of a rain drop.

Breath in
Breath Out
this moment is not perfect but i will not let the fear control me

Breath in
Breath Out
peace begins to return, the sun peaks through the clouds.

Breath in
Breath Out
All is well.

- Kendra Mollsen-

Be still

and all things will end.
and all moons shall rise.
and soon i shall sleep
when i close my eyes.

let me see the sun
so then I shall know.
as old is to young.
sow life as we grow.

and when my time comes.
and my sun set is near.
let me to you pray.
and lend me your ear.

This advice I do have
to all that shall feel.
be patient and calm.
Sit Quite and be still.

-Kendra Mollsen-

The sun is not gone

The sun is not gone when the sky is Grey
It simply made room for the clouds
The sun is not gone when the Night falls
It is i simply made room for the moon.
And when the rain comes the sun is not gone
it is simply letting the world drink.
and when the night fades and the Clouds break
the sun will be back once again.

-Kindra Mollsen-

All is well

I see the dark clouds slowly moving their way accross the sky.
the Sun is blocked and the day is grey.

Oh How i love the smell just before the first Rain drop falls.
I can almost feel the rain in the air as the breeze blows through my window.

Clouds Carry rain
Rain waters the ground.
Food shall grow.
we shall feast.

Life is abundant, All is well.

Oh how i love the Rain

-Kendra Mollsen-