Takwa تقوئ

From my sketchbook today!

#art #drawing #draweveryday

Some doodles

#art #drawings #sketchbook

Some more animal 🦁 doodles.

#art #sketching #sketchbook #animals

Cuong Lu asks us to become curious about pain. What does it really mean to grieve, feel sad, hopeless, etc? For example, to grieve something or someone means we loved or cared for it or them.

#books #mentalhealth #psychology #curiosity #pain #suffering

Some drawings.

#art #animals

This was fun to draw and color.

Can you guess the singer?

“Are we there yet?”
“We’re always there.”

#art #drawing #zen #buddhism #cats

We shouldn’t be afraid to set boundaries. We might think of worst-case scenarios but many people will respect our boundaries and it’s the difficult ones who won’t.

From Nedra Tawwab’s book. It’s so good and worth reading.

#boundaries #books #mentalhealth #psychology #relationships

“I hope for nothing
I want for nothing
I fear nothing
I am free.”
— Nawal Al Saadawi نوال السعداوي

Some doodles.

#nonattachment #art #feminism #mindfulness #freedom #sketchbook #drawing #nawalalsaadawi

Boundaries must be communicated & with clarity. People are not mind-readers and they can’t know our boundaries if we haven’t communicated them.

From Nedra Tawwab’s book.

#boundaries #relationships #books #psychology #mentalhealth

Same here! I appreciate what the authors and books offer.

Several people have asked why a scholar of democracy like myself became a mindfulness and meditation teacher. It’s because:

Mindfulness is how we recover our agency as human beings.

And:

I don’t know how democracy - or any community building- works without mindfulness.
#democracy #mindfulness

Nice to meet you too!!

It’s so good!

This week’s read by Nedra Tawwab.

#boundaries #relationships #books #psychology #mentalhealth

Yes! You too!

Practicing drawing the body.

Inspired by Nawal Al Saadawi نوال السعداوي

“She is free to do what she wants, and free not to do it.” - Nawal Al Saadawi

#art #drawing #sketchbook #artist #nawalalsaadawi

“mindfulness must be practiced throughout the day, in whatever position you find yourself and during whatever action you undertake”— Thich Nhat Hanh

I love how he talks about mindful listening which can be part of mindful speech.

#mindfulness #thichnhathanh
#meditation

Happy Valentine’s Day!

#art #drawing #dog #valentinesday

My drawings.

#art #artist #artwork #drawing #sketch

A Valentine’s Day doodle.

Was great for stress-relief even though my inner perfectionist didn’t like it.

#draweveryday

“The seascape”

Colored pencils ✏️ & marker drawing ✍🏽

#art #sea #ocean #artist #flower

To have peace in the world, there must be peace within us. Nonviolence begins with us & how we treat ourselves.
Although, Thay compares Christianity and Buddhism, it would have been interesting to see other faiths explored too.
#ComparativeReligion #buddhism #christianity #islam #nonviolence

This section of Thay’s book reminded me of an Ayah (verse) from the Quran:
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا۟ مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ ۗ
“God will not change the situation of a people until they change what is in themselves” (13:11)

Watercolor and inks on Yupo.
5"X7"
#art

I’m so sick of hearing about that game.

I really like this passage. The church or the Sangha are not “reflections” of Jesus or the Buddha; we are, instead, imperfect and therefore “the hope” or seed waiting to blossom.

I am so grateful for Thay.

#imperfectlyperfect #buddhism #christianity #thechurch #sangha #thichnhathanh

A new season in the horizon.

Textured piece

#art #artist #artwork

to Buddhism since the goal of mindful breathing is to heal and have peace.

There are so many more similarities & deep insights he shares but these are the main ones that stood out to me are these.

#thichnhathanh #ComparativeReligion #mindfulness #discernment