Tea and Zen at Meditation Sans Frontieres

teaandzen.org Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

May all love surround you, May the light of peace shine brightly upon you, guiding your steps and nurturing your heart. May you find tranquility in each moment and grace in every challenge. Nigel Lott Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

This being human is a guest house. Each morning a new arrival, a joy, a depression, a meanness. Some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all. Even if they're a crowd of sorrows who violently sweep your house, empty of its furniture, still treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice. Meet them at the door laughing and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes because each has been sent as a guide from beyond. Rumi Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

THE SPIRIT OF THE SAINTS There is a Water that flows down from HeavenTo cleanse the world of sin by grace Divine.At last, its whole stock spent, its virtue gone.Dark with pollution not its own, it speedsBack to the Fountain of all purities;Whence, freshly bathed, earthward it sweeps again,Trailing a robe of glory bright and pure. This Water is the Spirit of the Saints,Which ever sheds, until itself is beggared,God’s balm on the sick soul; and then returnsTo Him who made the purest light of Heaven. Rumi Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

The pearl-colored mist symbolizing a gentle, all-encompassing love, that envelops everything, softening and uniting the world in a tranquil and harmonious way. Evoking a sense of purity and serenity, suggesting that love is a universal force that surrounds us and connects us all, and has the power to heal all wounds…..your true nature. Nigel Lott teaandzen.org Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

It doesn’t have to bethe blue iris, it could beweeds in a vacant lot, or a fewsmall stones; justpay attention, then patch a few words together and don’t tryto make them elaborate, this isn’ta contest but the doorway into thanks, and a silence in whichanother voice may speak. Mary Oliver Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

Chunky and noisy,but with stars in their black feathers,they spring from the telephone wireand instantly they are acrobatsin the freezing wind.And now, in the theater of air,they swing over buildings, dipping and rising;they float like one stippled starthat opens,becomes for a moment fragmented, then closes again;and you watchand you trybut you simply can't imagine how they do itwith no articulated instruction, no pause,only the silent confirmationthat they are this notable thing,this wheel of many parts, that can rise and spinover and over again,full of gorgeous life. Ah, world, what lessons you prepare for us,even in the leafless winter,even in the ashy city.I am thinking nowof grief, and of getting past it; I feel my bootstrying to leave the ground,I feel my heartpumping hard. I want to think again of dangerous and noble things.I want to be light and frolicsome.I want to be improbable beautiful and afraid of nothing,as though I had wings. Mary Oliver Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

A moment of happiness, you and I sitting on the verandah, apparently two, but one in soul, you and I. We feel the flowing water of life here, you and I, with the garden’s beauty and the birds singing. The stars will be watching us, and we will show them what it is to be a thin crescent moon. You and I unselfed, will be together, indifferent to idle speculation, you and I. The parrots of heaven will be cracking sugar as we laugh together, you and I. In one form upon this earth, and in another form in a timeless sweet land. Kulliyat-e Shams, 2114 Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

We are the very source of love we seek, we have the power to create and experience love, peace, and equanimity from within. By recognizing this truth we can shift our focus from the external to the internal, finding a sense of completeness and contentment that transcends all evidence to the contrary. Remember that we need not be seekers of happiness, but come to accept that we are, in this moment, the very embodiment of Love and our work is to surrender our suffering and travail to that truth, to become aware of it from within. The love peace and equanimity we so yearn for are not external treasures to be found but internal realities to be accepted. The journey to discovering ourselves is not a quest for something new, but a deepening of our awareness of the boundless love that lays within. Nigel Lott teaandzen.org May you find it now. Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

Sit, take a moment and remember love, remember your divine nature, accept it, surrender to it, and share it with all……..for-ever and a day. Nigel Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

Justsit there right nowDon’t do a thing. Just rest. For yourseparation from Godis the hardest work in this world. Let me bring you trays of food and somethingthat you like todrink. You can use my soft wordsas a cushionfor yourhead. teaandzen.org Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

KEEPING WATCH In the morningWhen I began to wake,It happened again— That feelingThat you, Beloved,Had stood over me all nightKeeping watch, That feelingThat as soon as I began to stir You put Your lips on my foreheadAnd lit a Holy LampInside my heart Hafiz. Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

Imagine just for this moment if you truly knew the depth of your potential, your worth, and the incredible power within you. Many of us live confined by doubt, limited by fear, and shaped by the expectations of others. We become versions of ourselves that fit within these constraints, forgetting the vastness of who we really are. If you knew who you truly are—a being capable of immense love, creativity, and resilience—your life would look different. You wouldn’t settle for less than you deserve, nor would you let fear guide your choices. You would approach challenges with confidence, knowing that you have within you everything needed to overcome them. So often, we look outside ourselves for validation or permission to be great. But the truth is, all that power lies within. If you could see yourself without the veil of insecurity, you’d be astonished at the strength, beauty, and brilliance that’s been there all along. Understanding your true self isn’t just about realizing your talents and abilities; it’s about recognizing the value and significance of your presence in the world. You’re more than your struggles and circumstances. You’re a unique expression of life, with a purpose that no one else can fulfill. Oh, if you only knew who you really are—you’d start living boldly, dreaming fearlessly, and embracing the limitless possibilities waiting for you, for there is no birth, no death, there is only this moment we call NOW, an endless continuum of infinite LOVE and LIGHT. Nigel Lott teaandzen.org Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

The path to uncovering the eternal truth of a love beyond measure, that lays at the heart of us is not straightforward, for we are told narrow is the gate. It requires the courage to confront our fears, the compassion to heal our wounds, and the perseverance to navigate life’s complexities. Yet, each step toward inner peace and boundless love brings us closer to realizing our true nature and fulfilling our highest possible potential, dissolved in the light. The path to what is truly meaningful demands discipline, sacrifice, and unwavering conviction, and can only be taken by Faith. The wide gate is inviting, offering comfort and indulgence with little resistance, but it leads to emptiness. The narrow gate, however, is challenging and seldom chosen. It requires perseverance, humility, and a deep sense of purpose. Few venture through it, not because the destination is unworthy, but because the journey is demanding. It asks for more than just belief—it asks for action, courage, and the strength to remain steadfast even when the world offers easier paths. The narrow gate symbolizes the journey of transformation, a road less traveled that requires walking away from what’s convenient or popular. It’s a personal calling, guiding those willing to take it toward a life of unimaginable peace and love, there really are no words to describe, the core essence of absolute reality, of absolute BEING. Nigel Lott teaandzen.org Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

While love is undeniably the creative force of the universe, it is woven together with other elements: transformation, consciousness, interconnection, balance and mystery. Together, they form the vast, intricate tapestry of existence, where love is both the thread and the design. All things are interconnected in that seamless web of existence. This oneness points to a universal harmony, where every particle, wave, and being is an expression of a single, unified reality. Nigel Lott teaandzen.org May all love become you. Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

The whole of planet Earth is a sacred site. All people are the chosen people, and the purpose of our lives is a spiritual one. May we care for each other, and for the Earth, for everything relates to everything else. Feeling this oneness, may we radiate the light of love and kindness that all may live in unity and peace." ~ Radha Sahar. Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

May the light of a thousand candles guide your path. May their warm, gentle glow illuminate your way, bringing comfort and clarity through the darkest of times. Let their radiant presence remind you that you are surrounded by love, hope, and support, and may they lead you safely and peacefully to the place you call home. Nigel Lott teaandzen.org Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe

The Summer Day Who made the world? Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean the one who has flung herself out of the grass, the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes. Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away. I don’t know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? ~Mary Oliver Inspired By Daphne Sipes, The Happiness Practice Club Get full access to Tea and Zen - Meditation Sans Frontieres at teaandzen.substack.com/subscribe