White rose black dark marble
Purity, Innocence, perseveres, eternal love
Honoring names in stone.
Not quite haiku but not in the mood to play around with it. Under the hot summer sun, the fresh white rose was so starkly beautiful against the gleaming black stones carved with names of those who lost their lives that day – Hatred, ignorance and fanaticism is much to be feared. Thousands of lives just perished that day – each suffering, each with a story … each violently forced to punctuate their lives much much earlier than expected. Life is precious. Fear and Hatred destroys and ruins.
Love and Courage resurrects, restores and endures. Love, faith, hope – what’s eternal keeps us going …while severely tested when evil is unleashed. (Funny thing is they or “the enemy” perceives “America” as evil, the sane world, perceives them, the terror, as evil …) Inflicting violence is evil. The broken needs fixing…) How can we stop each other from perceiving the other “side” to be evil? Why do we have to resort to violence?
Heaven and Hell is not somewhere you go afterlife. Us humans create it right here on earth – so I know there will be eye-rolls as some idiotic idea but I actually think that if more people can afford to practice yoga, there will be more people who can feel that love is the answer – love is the religion. SOOO hard to practice when you feel you have been wronged or betrayed …but… Hatred and Fear is Evil that solves nothing. When you feel bad about yourself or your lot in life, then … nothing good happens as your interactions with the “world” is all cast in darkness and bitterness. Hope we can all have enough food and shelter and education – enough basic needs being met so that yoga practice can be incorporated into the everyday. When you feel good inside, you can’t help but to be more forgiving and generous, no? Am I a simplistic single celled … in other words, an idiot?
Statute of Liberty is beautiful and … the Goddess is still standing tall and strong. It was a relief to see her…it takes a Goddess, the divine empowered mother, to bring back sanity.
No not Sake as in the inebriated type but …maybe a very very low alcoholic content … fermented and mildly sweet…comfort drink.
I forgotten that earlier this year, I had translated a certain profile and a message from the most celebrated UTube Vegan chef in Japan. (I learned that he’s known there as a “Vegan Prince”:) Yes, miso is an everyday staple and so is tofu but … in a land where only monks are vegetarian, and to even go beyond vegetarian but to become vegan is considered not normal … and where conformity tends to be the norm, to break out to be Vegan is … I imagine, not so easy. So all the more impressed by his determination and will-power to stick with such a “restrictive” diet. Yes, tofu and miso is part of everyday cooking; and monk-diet are prevalent in Japan for that segment – i.e., developed by monks in temple kitchen, known as “Shojin” ryori/cuisine – Shojin cuisine is beautif ul and delicious but being a vegan is out of the ordinary.
In the general mainstream food culture that celebrates “Umami” and “refinement” that includes meat, fish, eggs and dairy, being Vegan would be considered anti-social and maybe even a bit unmanly (again, unless you are a monk)… One might say that he debunks the typical stereotype of a willowy skinny delicate creature by being a … well, regular-guy who appears healthy, athletic, well nourished, well built, NOT fanatical nice guy – By his casual, prolific and charming videos he puts out, he’s become kind of a rising star in the alternative culinary world.
So here’s the message, I feel it was an honor to translate for him, as he gains more and more international audience from his Japanese fan base – Click Here !
He’s updated and renewed this blog site from his personal appearance like this:
I can’t believe there are only 7000 views for this drink as I have always wanted to make my own AMAZAKE – Thank you Ryoya-san, now I know how. In contrast, so reflective of how much we love chocolates and matcha – his How-To Utube videos on Vegan Tofu Cheesecake has nearly 80,000 views and Avocado Chocolate Tart has nearly 90,000 views ! Wow !! Sugoi!
Here’s the more recent, maybe a more sophisticated video of Peaceful Cuisine where he does not make a personal appearance for the English speaking audience as apparently he’s still learning English – I appreciate this instructional video as I always wanted to make my own almond milk … have you ever read the ingredients on a carton of almond milk? There’s so much other stuff other than almonds and water, it’s rather surprising. Here’s what’s in it besides almonds and water: Tricalcium, Phosphate, Sea Salt, Gellan Gum, Dispottassium Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Sunflower Lecithin, Vitamin A Palmitate, Viatmin D2, D-Plpha Tocopherol (VitaminE)… while the vitamin additives might be nice, do we want all these substance we cannot pronounce in there?
So for pure unadulterated almond milk, we can just make our own on the weekend and save for the week?
So really, he is gradually reaching many many people through peaceful means – What I found amazing is that … he’s not doing this from any gourmet or commercial kitchen but from a small apartment kitchen – see the modest gas burner – which is the impressive part of his efforts in producing this many instructional videos on his own. I don’t know how many videos he’s produced so far, but whether it be the popular ones near 100,000 views or less knows ones with couple of thousands, he’s making a difference – his sharing of his recipes, videos and blog are the true art of expression and persuasion. He isn’t lecturing or judgmental of others to become Vegan or Vegetarian, but he just shows us How. My mother used to say, best way to reach someone’s heart is through their stomach but he puts that into practice.
I don’t want to be a hypocrite here so I will say that I am not vegan nor vegetarian at all times, sometimes breaking the “rules” but maybe 70%. Knowing the hardship, even more, I respect those who make that choice to go 100%. The only self-imposed change I have made in the last 5 years is that I stay away from red meat 100% and stay away from poultry as much as possible – perhaps at about 75% – as well. I guess there’s a word to describe my dietary choice – I am a Pescatarian:) Sorry fish … I love to eat fish …love sushi but here too, try to eat with sustainable fishing in mind…
& I love sunny yellow-colored fluffy omelettes … from eggs made by range-free cage-free chickens. But I was also very impressed with macrobiotic egg which is made from Kabocha – looks and tastes like eggs – delicious and amazed with human ingenuity and will to use creativity where sacrifices no longer is perceived as a sacrifice at all.
Yet, I feel no guilt starting a meal with “itadakimasu” to show how grateful I am for the completely to mostly plant-based sustenance on my plate. Thank you for being allowed the choice on how to feed my body and mind.
Just let the beauty of light seep in from the shades, curtains … let the veils that shield the light, lift and allow that light to meet up with your light within … fill up with flood of … Light. Let the eyelashes flutter open and come to a healing, nourishing practice – it’s better than caffeine because it’s self-implemented production that comes with magic of intuition – and not dependent on the outside forces, chemicals, weather that day, whatever the jitters and turbulence …to awaken to start the day. Each day is better – each day, more hopeful. Be a believer of that truth. No need to get giddy or foolish – just soak it up naturally – for it’s the truth.
I am not touching the electronics in the morning – I am not reaching for my i-phone to “Connect”. I am Disconnecting from the Internet to gain more Inner-net. Trying to rewire the inner network of neurotransmitters rather than probing the outside in pretense of connecting.
I don’t need texting and emails to be connected to the rest of the world. Okay, SO, Realistically this is not possible but AT LEAST for first couple of hours upon waking in the morning, I will NOT turn On – I will be switching to the OFF-mode so that my inward switch can turn On with full awareness. That is important to my well-being.
Time and Space is illusions of consciousness …
Starting off with breakfast of Yin yoga, nourishing myself, charging up, before getting to all the Yang activities throughout the day …Managing my energy level to meet the demands of the day to expend it without restrain – not to be in conservation mode but pacing and calibrating for wholeness and wellness.
Statute of Liberty is beautiful and … the Goddess is still standing tall and strong. It was a relief to see her…it takes a Goddess, the divine empowered mother, to bring back sanity.