04/06/2026
The Community Walk for Peace in Gainesville on Saturday, April 4th was very peaceful! Many thanks to all who arrived and showed their alliance with peace. It feels good to let it be known, to be seen, to walk, sit and stand united in our common goal. Peace on our planet. For the planet. For all beings who share the earth as our home.
We all want happiness. Cultivating peace inside allows this blossoming desire for happiness and peace to be felt, to be cultivated and to flower. Just as the planted seed requires steady attention, adequate sunshine, air, water and nourishment, so too do we all.
What would the world be like if we all fostered peace, compassion, kindness and joy inside, even through the storms of life that are known around the world daily? And how might this peaceful nature shape how we walk through our lives, work, play and share life with our families, friends, colleagues and community? How would it give positive energy to the work that we do to make the world a healthy place for us all?
I wonder just what would happen if world leaders saw the futility of their efforts for happiness that are driven by greed, anger and ignorance. We can't force anyone to see that the true nature of the heart is good, is loving, kind, wise. Many are deeply injured by the rejection, fear, hunger, neglect, pain, loss, confusion and ignorance of their early lives.They may feel hurt, unworthy, inferior, ...or develop false, reactive, grandiose beliefs that they are indeed better than all those who they see as a threat. But inside....
We all have the potential but not necessarily the opportunity to see the truth from the inside out. To see, to face, to care for our wounded nature....to care for our deeply hidden feelings....We offer compassion to our deep disappointment, sadness, rage, fear...the list goes on.
On Saturday, Mārajinā Bhikkhunī and Lama Losang together guided us on a walk for peace and a compassion meditation. Following this meditation practice, if you were to ask me: "How does it feel to offer compassion to yourself for what you endure? And how does it feel to radiate that compassion out to the community, even to all who are terribly ignorant and misguided, who suffer greatly from their wrongful efforts to be happy?
Personally, it felt beautiful inside on Saturday.It felt beautiful outside as we walked and sat for peace. I am thankful for the continued opportunities to develop this skill, as it far from easy but is very simple.
We'll do this simple walk and sit again. It's a beauty. Thanks for listening. Join us if you wish.
