Found Exhortation


Does it matter whether this juxtaposition of the exhortation to love next to a game of hangman was intended by those holding the chalk?
Even if the juxtaposition was not thought out and done for the purpose of later viewers, it raises much to ponder about how we act and live in relationship to the world.
Just one of the questions that comes first to mind is whether it is more ok to play hangman if you it with love?
Peace and light, E — Posted with WordPress for BlackBerry.
On my way home from work, I heard the sounds of a crowd at the Capitol. I joined in to listen (Elizabeth Warren spoke shortly after I arrived) and chanted with my fellow citizens–the chant not “om mani pedme hung” nor “om mane padme hum,” but on this particular night, with this particular crowd, addressing this particular issue, “one more vote.”
Being out here over and over again regardless of hope of the immediate outcome being effectively influenced is a variation on tapas, on sadhana, on seva, on faith put into practice.
It seems that this monk and I are being drawn to the same places this week, though I am guessing our days are pretty different.
Saw this as an email signature from an email on a list serve I follow and had to share:
To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
–Ralph Waldo Emerson
The philosophy and religion professors with whom I have studied yoga philosophy have emphasized that we need both theoretical study and experiential practice to develop understanding. In that light, here’s the reading line-up (though currently I am slowly making my way through Harry Potter y el cáliz de fuego.

Anyone who wants to or has read anything in this list and is interested in discussing, please let me know.