Never Alone

“When we sit, we are never alone because all the saints and bodhisattvas… are there with us. Meditating mindfully means contact and continuity with a long tradition. To sit means to be assisted and held. when Buddha sat on the earth, it was as if he sat in a lap. It is the same for us,” writes Donald Richo in How to be an Adult in Relationships.

Life can be exhausting and we can feel like we are struggling through it all alone.

If you are going to wear it, you need to know that it is more than an idea. It is a visible, tangible announcement of your commitment to defend the rights and dignity of your fellow human. If you are not willing to follow that announcement up with action, rethink making the announcement, writes What A Witch.

This is a good time for a reminder that we are never alone. For those who lost loved ones in the Ghost Ship fire, for those with writing projects for school or work, for those who do not have family to be with during the holidays, for those devastated by the recent election and the tsunami of shock that has followed that rupture and the wave of violence that has erupted against Muslims, women, and people of color, we are not alone.

You are not alone. You are never alone. We are never alone.

Hang in there. Sometimes it gets worse before it gets better. And sometimes it can just get better.

And please: Do something. Anything. Take a walk. Make a phone call. Make plans. Stand up for what is right and what is wrong. It is up to each of us to do what we can to transform the world into one that we want to live in together.

The other day in class I mentioned the pin by Marlayne Bellenson that I had been wearing. I was surprised that most of my students didn’t know what it meant. But now they do, and you do too. Whether you wear a pin or not, please make a plan about how you will respond the next time you see someone being harassed. #NeverAlone.

pins by Marlayne Bellenson

Artist Leslie Rinchen-Wongmo is one of the only a few westerners trained in the rare Buddhist art of silk appliqué thangkas as pictured above. Passionate about the preservation and evolution of this Tibetan cultural tradition, Leslie’s work is traditional and contemporary. His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave his blessings to Leslie’s work and encouraged her to make images that speak to the spiritual aspirations of people across religions and cultures. Learn more about Leslie and her work.