This piece conveys the practice of meditation as holding the present moment in awareness. In the stream of time, mental chatter often keeps focus in the past or future. Staying present one experiences the richness and fullness of life, just as it is.

What may be present to hold in awareness is the downed areas of our life where damaging winds have swept. Being present with loss is to experience sorrow fully, not turning away but holding its dark weight. In so doing, it opens us to an understanding of the suffering of others and gives us the gift of compassion.

In Buddhist iconography, Monjushri is the personification of Wisdom and is pictured as a seated figure with a raised sword that slices through delusion. Often as delicate as a feather these moments of great insight and clarity present an experience of the Monjushri archetype within.

Metta is the Buddhist term for loving kindness. In the midst of pain, suffering, anger or delusion we are called to hold loving kindness in awareness. It is a simple concept to talk about, but when we feel the sting of thorns tearing at us, offering kindness requires great resolve, self awareness and courage.

Based on the Buddhist sutra “The Harmony of Difference and Sameness,” this image is about the great mystery of universality and individuality existing simultaneously. We are all one, yet we are each uniquely individual. We cling to our ego and miss the great Oneness. Where is the sound of the sea? In the ocean? In your ear? In your mind? The sound of the ocean is just as much you as you are. Where do you begin and where does the ocean end?

Working with the body, through yoga, tai chi, breath work or other body practices, is also a form of meditation. The body continually gives birth to itself and is in a constant state of becoming. When we hold this process in awareness we are more aware of how our bodies are a continual creation. There is no fixed self.

What we hold in awareness gives birth to our life. The seeds that we plant, be they helpful or unwholesome, grow into the forest that becomes who we are. We can act with awareness and choose which seeds to plant. Karma is not something that happens to us, it is something we create as a present moment event.

Immerse yourself fully in whatever you are doing. Burn yourself up completely and leave not a trace of ego. Be one with the activity at hand. Sit in the fire of your life and let go of self-clinging.

Winter, the season of being frozen or stuck, is quiet and seemingly inactive. But much is going on underground: rest, renewal, the workings of the unconscious. All are germination preparing to break through the soil. Frozen water has great power. It bursts pipes and cracks open rocks revealing the hidden beauty of the geode. From that awareness giving of ourselves starts the thaw.

Shenpa is the hook, the experience of attaching. Like a moth attracted to the flame it can’t resist, we cling to our attachments and addictions even though they are self-destructive. It can be serious chemical addiction or the heated argument that runs over and over like a tape loop in our mind. Rather than punishing ourselves for our attachments, we can hold them in awareness, being present, without judgment. Simply seeing them with compassion can help to loosen their grip.