Eva Libre's Blog (259)

Born in 1864, died in 1943—forgotten by the world, left to languish in a mental hospital.

What was her story?

She came to Paris to study art at a time when the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts was open only to men.

Undeterred, she joined studios that welcomed women.

There, she met and became the…

We are divine beings in a state of recovery,

re-discovering our divinity,

winning back ourselves from states of delusion.

However, the mind is very much a key player

in the drama called life, because without it,

the consciousness cannot experience

the necessary friction for transcendence to occur.

And transcendence…

Announcing the release of the new book Voice for the Voiceless: Decades of Struggle with China for My Land and My People will be available on March 11. “In my role as the Dalai Lama, there is no issue more important than what I describe in these pages. My hope is that the book will stimulate fresh thoughts and conversations today and…

Our life is short. Before we know it, we have moved on to a new life. That is why Buddhist monks and nuns turn their teacup over after a meal. We don’t know which will come first, the next cup of tea, or the next life! That is also why we meditate and contemplate impermanence. Panic is not necessary. It can be a pause to celebrate the time we have in this life and direct it towards meaning. We are good at wasting time. Remembering the fragility and limited…

Voltaire (attributed)

“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

Rosa Luxemburg

“Freedom is always the freedom of dissenters.”

John Stuart Mill

“If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind…

Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th-century Benedictine abbess, mystic, composer, and polymath, left an extraordinary legacy in theology, music, and science. Among her achievements is "Liber Divinorum Operum" ("The Book of Divine Works"), a visionary text featuring a depiction of a spherical Earth experiencing different seasons…

Complete relaxation maintaining alertness has many levels. We can relax the body, while remaining alert, not falling asleep, while keeping the body still. We can relax our talking. This gives our jaw, tongue, and voice-box muscles a break. Here we enter the realm of silence. Even though vocally silent, our thinking mind may still be…

Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.

Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.

Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.…

A wish for a brighter world.

Happy New Year!

Let the thousand-year-old oak tree grow green again

Let the earth have crocus skies and white shooting stars in the grass

Let the people and animals breathe out

from…

TOADSTOOL TEA

It's not often you find, a red and white spotted…

I am not sure how or when I began my apprenticeship with sorrow.

I do know that it was my gateway back into the breathing and animate world.

It was through the dark waters of grief that I came to touch my unlived life...

There is some strange intimacy between grief and aliveness, some sacred exchange between what…

Ernest Hemingway once said: In our darkest moments, we don’t need solutions or advice. What we yearn for is simply human connection—a quiet presence, a gentle touch. These small gestures are the anchors that hold us steady when life feels like too much.

Please don’t try to fix me. Don’t take on my pain or push away my shadows.…

We tend to become complacent. When things are going well, we forget to practice the precious Dharma. When things are not going well, we practice the precious Dharma, albeit feebly. This complacency leads to laziness, which leads to a missed chance to practice this precious Dharma. We forget that we will die. And sooner than we think.…

He built himself a house,

his foundations,

his stones,

his walls,

his roof overhead,

his chimney and smoke,

his view from the window.

He made himself a garden,

his fence,

his thyme,

his earthworm,

his evening dew.

He cut out his bit of sky…

Please don’t live your life scattered hither and dither like a dry leaf blown in the wind. Our ingrown habits have not gotten us the happiness we want, neither for ourselves nor others. Dharma is all about recognizing our dysfunctional habits and transforming them. This requires diligence and constant effort. Laziness erodes our…

There is always a chance to practice Dharma. When we feel well, we remember to practice. When we don’t feel well, we forget to practice. But it is at those times when we face obstacles, usually inner, that the Dharma is most helpful. Dharma is all about transforming our negativities into positive. This goes for our harmful emotions.…

“From here, the story starts

From here, peace emerges

From the laugh of every child

From the eyes of every wounded

From the fruit of every tree

From the breeze of every wind

Who among us does not love peace?!

Who does not want to see peace all over the land and skies?”…

In times of darkness, more people will come together first to commiserate, and then to heed a call to action. It is imperative, as Einstein informs us, not to find solutions using the same logic and systems that define the problems. Therefore, as Samaria Spiritual Warriors, we are obligated to do the inner work of self-transformation…

What feels, at times like these, so solid, stuck, and hyperreal, is in fact like a dream. Everything seems so solid and real, yet closer inspection shows us, “it ain’t so, Joe.” ‘Us and them’ way of thinking arises out of misunderstanding who we are. When we begin to appreciate this, walls and silos of the ego break down. As the ego is…

TODAY is Diwali

Diwali is a major religious festival that symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. It is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs, and is one of India's biggest holidays.

To all who observe this holiday we wish a…