Strong Back, Soft Front

Strong Back, Soft Front*

Do You See Moses Over There? 

The daylight shortens.
The darkness settles in.

Quick—
Grabbing the dog.
Walking, 
Racing against the quickening sunset.

Geese fly overhead,
Heading somewhere
For deserved
Rest.

As do we.

All is so right 
With the world.

And so not.
~~~
Do I write every week about contradictions?
How can it all be true, simultaneously?
In the same breath,
The beauty,
In the same breath,
The suffering?

How do we continue to walk
One step at a time
Forward?

Where do we find that strength?
While—
At the same time,
Opening 
Our
Hearts
To ourselves,
To one another?

Roshi Joan Halifax says,
Strong Back.
Soft Front.

Our strong backs—
Practicing equanimity,
Our capacity to hold
All things
In equal
Regard.

Our soft fronts—
While opening ourselves
With compassion,
With kindness
To the world.

My only response?
Today.
And
Probably tomorrow:

We practice.

We simply
Practice
Kindness,

Starting,
Always starting
With ourselves.
~~~
I met Roshi Joan Halifax, abbot of the Upaya Zen Center in New Mexico, in 2020, when I began a year-long training in Socially Engaged Buddhism.  Immediately I was comforted by her profound kindness and made comfortable by her strength of focus, her strength of purpose.  The program was life-changing—it took me into the world in a different, a more alert and responsible way.

Roshi Joan’s teachings continue to guide me.

Here is a wonderful 14-minute meditation with her discussing her core teaching of Strong Back, Soft Front.  You can begin the meditation at 27:38.

Give yourself these 14-minutes with Roshi Joan.