'Libraries aren't in the real world, after all. They're places apart, sanctuaries of pure thought. In this way I can go on living on the moon for the rest of my life.'
⚫️ RIP Paul Auster

Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.

~ Pema Chödron

It is our motivation that directs our acts, just as an irrigation channel makes water flow where it is wanted. If our acts r constantly inspired by a desire to relieve others of suffering, in the end this desire will be fulfilled. #DilgoKhyentseRinpoche #LamaSuryaDas #Bodhisattva

'To stay with that shakiness—to stay with a broken heart, with a rumbling stomach, with the feeling of hopelessness and wanting to get revenge—that is the path of true awakening.' —Pema Chödrön
bit.ly/48sEOJT

If you don’t become the ocean, you’ll be seasick every day. ~Leonard Cohen

#LamaSuryaDas #Dzogchen #Meditation #Mindfulness #SelfInquiry #NonDual #Buddhism #Healing #Wellness #Yoga #Dharma #AwakeningtheBuddhaWithin #HowtoHeal

Of the Five Good Emperors, only three were actually good. Nerva was undistinguished and Hadrian was a megalomaniac, whom the Senate wanted to publicly denounce as a tyrant after his death.

So excited to be offering a screening of the film adaptation to Kim Thuy’s Ru at The FOLD. It’s got me all nostalgic for #CanadaReads and I can’t wait to chat with Kim at the start. Event is Sunday, May 5.

RU Trailer | TIFF 2023 youtu.be/ZciLUh8oMZU?si… via YouTube

'Equanimity is said to be an anchor. It protects you against the 'worldly winds'—pleasure and pain, praise and blame, gain and loss, and fame and disrepute—by keeping you anchored so you’re not tossed about by those winds.' —daisy hernandez #DailyDharma
buff.ly/2V68tav

In-person, one-week University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies

learn.utoronto.ca/programs-cours…

We will be reading Marina Nemat Prisoner of Tehran and Natalie Goldberg in my upcoming online 8 week Memoir class. University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies

learn.utoronto.ca/programs-cours…

Epictetus on Self-Discipline

- Discipline is freedom.
- Choose what you can control.
- Embrace discomfort as a path to growth.
- Practice resilience in the face of adversity.
- Stay focused on your goals amidst distractions.

The value of any action is determined, primarily by the motivation propelling it, and for this reason it is very important to check our motivation before engaging in any action and to deliberately cultivate a Dharma motivation. thubtenchodron.org/books/transfor…

'...art can help people understand the nature of... suffering...have insight into how to transform the negative...develop the positive in themselves. Writing, making a film, creating a work of art can be an act of love. That nourishes you and nourishes others.'

Thich Nhat Hanh

'Better to trip with the feet than with the tongue.' - Zeno of Citium, father of Stoicism

ANNE LAMOTT shares how compassionate self-discovery is crucial for writers so their work will be infused with the empathy, humility, and honesty needed to touch readers.

This from her recent Bird by Bird Book Club for awritingroom.com

#amwriting #writers

The ancient Athenian acropolis

One can experience moments of splendid inspiration and devastating heartbreak, both leaving lasting imprints.

Pema Chödrön

“Everything is connected; nothing lasts; you are not alone.” Lew Richmond