Zen Moments

“Having a child … can be an adventure all on its own…”

When I realized that my life experiences are simply different and wonderful in their own way, I stopped feeling inferior due to wonderful stories of travel and adventure I hear from my childless friends. Having a child when you’re a still a child can [...]

“Mooring on Chien-Te River”

The boat rocks at anchor by the misty island
Sunset, my loneliness comes again.
In these vast wilds the sky arches down to the trees.
In the clear river water, the moon draws near.
Meng Hao-Jen
Translation from the Chinese by Gary Snyder
Photograph kindly contributed to Zen Moments by Sam Cicero
“Meng Hao-jan (689–740 C.E.) is generally [...]

“A tree, would be enough
Or even a rock…”

…A tree, would be enough
Or even a rock, a small creek,
A bark shred in a pool.
Hill beyond hill, folded and twisted
Tough trees crammed
In thin stone fractures
A huge moon on it all, is too much.
The mind wanders…
Excerpt from Piute Creek by Gary Snyder
The Path to Peace Runs through the [...]

“Hand in Hand – Beautiful Ballet Dancers”

Li Ma was a beautiful promising professional ballerina when she lost her right arm in a car accident in 1996. She was only 19. Her handsome boy friend walked away from her.
She tried to kill herself, only to be saved by her parents. Her love for her parents gave [...]

“…all I could think of was: life. the good and the bad.”

More wonderful replies to the question: “What Inspires You?” from our Twitter and Facebook friends…
DixieThorn: Hi! My Inspirations are: Nature, Art, Passion, & Random Acts of Kindness.
knitfemme: What inspires me is new people coming into my life doing really interesting things!

teresantoinette: hello [...]

“I began to notice that each moment was not without its beauty…”

An exerpt from “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron
“…Writing about attention, I see that I have written a good deal about pain. This is no coincidence. It may be different for others, but pain is what it took to teach me to pay attention. [...]

“I need a hundred years between each utterance… “

Deep in the mountains.
I brought no camera, no sketchbook.
Like this Buddha rupa beside its mossy stream,
it is sufficient just to be here.

I need a hundred years
between each utterance-
to clarify and settle thought-
to make the plain poetic,
and the poetic plain.

Breathing in: open-hearted.
Breathing out: open-minded.

Just keep asking yourself, “What [...]

” … the sunrise this morning, the beauty of a new day “

Zen Moments asked our Twitter and Facebook friends: “What Beaty Can You See?” – and had these wonderful replies…
Allison Doyle: An exquisite tree, covered in pink flowers…a blue, blue sky and sunshine…you?
Zen Moments Dot Org: My beloved – and hopefully in a [...]

“The capacity of the human spirit to overcome against all odds…”

More wonderful replies to the question: “What Inspires You?” from our Twitter and Facebook friends…
Allison Doyle: The moon, nature, my children, my dogs and many of the new people i’m meeting on facebook. what inspires you?
Katy Dawes: The sunset, sunrise, Friends, Family, my cats….so many [...]

“It’s about brightening up people’s lives and putting a bit of green and flowers into the grey areas of London…”

ITV news joins Richard Reynolds and guerrilla gardeners on the London lavender field in March 2006
“When Richard Reynolds began planting flowers secretly at night outside his tower block in South London he had no idea [...]