Gentleness in our practice and in our life helps to awaken bodhichitta. It’s like remembering something. This compassion, this clarity, this openness are like something we have forgotten. Sitting here being gentle with ourselves, we’re rediscovering something. It’s like a mother reuniting with her child; having been lost to each other for a long, long time, they reunite. The way to reunite with bodhichitta is to lighten up in your practice and in your whole life.
The world’s ice is melting . Forests–4.4 million acres since 1990–are disappearing . Sockeye salmon on the Cedar River are on the brink of extinction . The Southern Resident Killer Whales are in trouble , too. Stormwater runoff threatens the health of our watersheds.
It can all be a lot to wrap one’s mind and heart around sometimes.