In this powerful talk, Dr. Ward offers guidance on how we can work with both the darkness and the light within us all. The winter solstice is a time to remember that we need not fear the dark, once we are able to recognize the darkness in ourselves; we need not fear the light, once we recognize the lightness in ourselves. This is the gift of mindfulness: to recognize what is present—and what is not. To see and feel what the dark and the light teaches us in every moment. Like a candle used to light another, we can share our own light, and not diminish the light of another.
Practice questions:
What are you ready to let go of and release into the solstice fire? Can you name it? What do you have the capacity to bring into this world? No matter the size. For inside the very small is the very large. Inside every being, every mineral, every animal, are the cosmos. Can you put your energy into the new wind? Into a new or old practice that nourishes your body and mind, and that of your community?
Recorded on December 21, 2022
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➛ Senior Dharma teacher ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh, Larry Ward PhD is one of the leading proponents of Engaged Buddhism in the United States. Deeply inspired by Thay and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he has committed his life to non-violent social change, healing, and transformation at all levels: from individuals and communities, to the global scale.
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Republished with kind permission of the Lotus Institute 🙏