I had a moment last night, that carried into meditation this morning

When I first heard of the attempt on #trump, I asked if he survived.

There is a dark part of me that would like to think that things were better if he were just gone.

But his life is sacred too. I sat with those thoughts this morning in meditation, and realized they were based out of fear that I will have to leave the country, and uproot my life if he's elected. Fear for my friends that will be targeted.

1/2

Everything is impermanent though. That is the first aspect that came to mind as I sat with those feelings from deep within my store consciousness this morning.

The second was that there is no death, no true end. We have no beginning or ending, we are each an ever burning flame, morphing from life to life, existence to existence.

We carry stars within us, and long dead galaxies. Particles from the beginning of time itself. Life to life.

No matter our current troubles. No matter how dark the night, our light will still shine on, far past our current challenges.

Which means, that holding to our compassion in times of darkness, and in the face of great challenges like #trump amplifies our light, instead of caking it with mud and muting its color.

That is the definition of transforming our suffering. Taking all that is thrown at us, and turning it into compost to feed our lotus.

I've been reading the "Admonitions and Encouraging Words of Master Guishan" with a commentary by Thich Nhat Hanh. It's a buddhist monastic text.

Within it talks about the reason for right manners, keeping the precepts, all of that, it's not simply rules to follow, but ways to avoid suffering, and **to set a good example and protect the practice of those around you**