Thursday, January 22, 2026

Via GBF: 2 poems for Jeff


Inbox

Richard Azzolini

Wed, Jan 21, 8:12 PM (15 hours ago)
to Gay

    Jeff and I both loved these poems.

It was a joy knowing him.  

Richard


When Death Comes, Mary Oliver

When death comes,

like the hungry bear in autumn;

when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse

to buy me, and snaps the purse shut;

when death comes

like the measle-pox

when death comes

like an iceberg between the shoulder blades,

I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering:

what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness?

And therefore I look upon everything

as a brotherhood and a sisterhood,

and I look upon time as no more than an idea,

and I consider eternity as another possibility,

and I think of each life as a flower, as common

as a field daisy, and as singular,

and each name a comfortable music in the mouth,

tending, as all music does, toward silence,

and each body a lion of courage, and something

precious to the earth.

When it's over, I want to say all my life

I was a bride married to amazement.

I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it's over, I don't want to wonder

if I have made of my life something particular, and real.

I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened, or full of argument.

I don't want to end up simply having visited this world.     


Contemplation on no-coming and no-going - thich nhat hanh

This body is not me.

I am not limited by this body.

I am life without boundaries.

I have never been born,

and I have never died.


Look at the ocean and the sky filled with stars,

manifestations from my wondrous true mind.


Since before time, I have been free.

Birth and death are only doors through which we pass,

sacred thresholds on our journey.

Birth and death are a game of hide-and-seek.


So laugh with me,

hold my hand,

let us say good-bye,

say good-bye, to meet again soon.


We meet today.

We will meet again tomorrow.

We will meet at the source every moment.

We meet each other in all forms of life.


Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Action: Reflecting upon Bodily Action

 

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RIGHT ACTION
Reflecting Upon Bodily Action
However the seed is planted, in that way the fruit is gathered. Good things come from doing good deeds; bad things come from doing bad deeds. (SN 11.10) What is the purpose of a mirror? For the purpose of reflection. So too bodily action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61)

When you have done an action with the body, reflect on that same bodily action thus: "Has this action I have done with the body led to my own affliction?" If, on reflection, you know that it has, then tell someone you trust about it and undertake a commitment not to do it again. If you know it has not, then be content and feel happy about it. (MN 61)
Reflection
While the practice has to do with being present in the moment, we are also encouraged to reflect on past action with the same diligence we apply to present action and intention for future action. If we have done harm in the past, it is healing to bring it out in the open by revealing it to another. Not necessarily a religious figure with the power to forgive—there is no such person in Buddhism—but simply a person you trust.
Daily Practice
Practice having no secrets. Whenever you do something, even a very small thing, that you feel was wrong or hurtful in some way, make a point of "coming clean" about it to someone. Perhaps you apologize to someone you’ve harmed or confess your errors to a trusted friend. With this as an ongoing practice, you may find yourself feeling lighter, unburdened by the things you do that are not quite right.
Tomorrow: Abstaining from Harming Living Beings
One week from today: Reflecting upon Verbal Action

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Meditation Month Day 22

 

Day 22
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Welcome to week 4 of Meditation Month with Haemin Sunim.
 
Watch the video and follow the practice prompt below.
WEEK 4 GUIDED VIDEO
When the Seeking Stops
In the final video of Meditation Month 2026, Haemin Sunim reviews the koans he’s presented thus far, elaborating on not-knowing and how it is that we’ve already arrived at our destination. He then poses a final koan that points to the realization that the ordinary mind is the awakened mind.
Watch the video »
PRACTICE PROMPT
 
A student asks: "What is the meaning of Bodhidharma coming from the West?" (What is the essence of Zen?) Master answers: "The pine tree in the courtyard."

Please keep this koan in mind during the week ahead. You can also use one of the previous koans if it leads to the don’t-know mind. Rest in it and let it soak into every cell of your body.
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Tried and True Ground

Writer and Zen teacher Vanessa Zuisei Goddard captures the precipice of letting go into the unknown and how to find the courage to embrace it.

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The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down

Short passages from Haemin Sunim’s 2012 book The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down sharpen the meaning of resistance versus acceptance.
 
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