An example of nonattachment and gratitude combined. Two very powerful practices. “My love will always be attached to you, but not my selfish desires. I’m forever grateful for what I had with you. I love you.”
The Jedi religion creates killers. So does our societal system, as it provides the knowledge and skills needed for one’s selfish desire to rise to power just for the almighty feeling of having control. Like Luke Skywalker, maybe we need to detach from the current practices and instead, seek the middle within us, that calm and peaceful zone, just as the thousands of Bodhisattvas and Buddhas attempted before us. Let the old religion that develops killers die with us.
Late night, wake up
I’m sick, I’m stuck
You’re here, so near
Your dream, my fear
Your love, my loss
Your dime, my cost
My fate, your hands
My life, your brand
Living my life in spite of you
This is the best that I can do
Nothing left for me to prove
I give it all to you
Nothing’s what we made it
And we’re living like we hate it
I have given all I can
But I can’t anymore
Freedom, I can taste it
And the truth, I need to face it
I’ve always been dedicated
But I can’t anymore
“Keep Cool” by Major Lazer feat. Shaggy & Winter Gordon.
Below is my Jodo Mission of Hawaii President’s message printed in our January 2018 bulletin:
Dear Members,
Thank you for your support and for attending Jodo Mission of Hawaii’s services, Bon dance, mochi-making, and other events. In the last quarter of 2017, we have repaired and painted our temple and begun repairing and painting our apartment buildings. We are happy on how beautiful it looks!
One of my wishes for you in 2018 and for the rest of your existence is to have peace and happiness within yourself, so that you can share your peace and happiness with others. In our Buddhist practice, we work daily on the Noble Eightfold Path of Right Understanding, Right Purpose, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Endeavor, Right Thought, and Right Mediation. A practice that’s mentioned in Buddhist scripture that has helped me tremendously is gratitude. Everyday, from the moment we wake up, we can be thankful for what we have such as the cozy bed that we just slept in; taste of hot green tea; orange glow of the morning sun; useful kitchenware we use to make our tasty breakfast; and a quiet self-reflection or meditation. Start the morning with this peaceful gratitude practice, and you will power through the day with more gratitude and push through difficult situations with a balanced soul.
Ever wondered why positive people make huge comebacks and negative people fade away? Negative people may be able to win the short game but only positive people win the long game!
I counted 1,400 wins in 2017, the latest practice within my self-development system, an ever-evolving program I’ve used since I was about 10 years old. We’ve written our always-changing plan for our life, New Year’s Resolution, and our daily goals scheduled in our calendars. On top of these plans, I enjoy counting my daily wins, which keeps me moving towards my life goals and annual resolutions, boosts my happy chemicals of dopamine with every accomplishment, and keeps me mindful of all the good that is happening in my life daily, critical to show me that life is good, even during my darkest times. So count your wins – Time with your loved ones, win! Several hundred words for your document, win! Cooked a meal, win! Learned a new topic, win! Exercised, win! Kind gesture to another person, win! And on and on. Life is not just life, but an adventure.
Feeling good this morning! My younger sister Mia, second of 3 siblings had a baby girl, her third daughter! Mia and her family lives in the Bay Area, California. I have tears of joy forming as I write this, amongst all the work I’m doing for my business projects. I can’t wait to see them soon!
You’ve been my crush since the first time I saw your face. It makes me blush and I really don’t want to erase. The possibility of us together sometime. I just really wish someday you’ll be mine.
Yesterday, my mom dropped off turkey jook (turkey and rice soup) at my home. I’m super grateful for the thoughtfulness of my mom. I love her! Today, my energy is low, and I’m feeling mentally down even though I received good news early this morning on one of my projects, got a nice email from a new friend and potential business partner, and glad for a couple of decisions I made on two stocks. Yet, I feel down. Strange how we can have these mixed emotions. Thus, my mom’s soup really gave me some comfort today. I will attempt to do some work tonight to lift my spirit! May peace be with you, and cheers to all of your moms for all they do for you!
Anything is possible when you have dragons!!! Let’s keep attacking our goals like a dragon on fire!!! Oh, and a nice lover to share the experiences with, would be a bonus. 😍
On that early evening, I waited by the small, shallow pond in the middle of the large field like we planned a year ago. It was dark. The clouds blacked out all of the stars above. Anxious, I began to pull at the tall blades of wild grass. Did she forget about me? Had she really moved on? In a bitter argument sometime after our promise, I was blocked out of her life. If she had wanted to reconcile with me, she would have contacted me. I was beyond wishing. Instead, I was living in a fantasy.
I waited for about an hour and gave up. Rather than heading back home, I kicked off my shoes, took off my socks, and rolled up my pants to just below my knees. I entered the pond, in an attempt to make the most of my trip there. The cool water felt nice, and I was mindful of the soft mud squeezing between my toes. I slowly proceeded to the middle of the pond, where at that point, I had no care of wetting my clothes. So I crouched down, placed my face in my hands, and let my emotions go. I felt my tears seeping out beneath my palms, making little drops that fell into the water. I stayed like this for some time.
Then, I heard something. There was a buzz. Then a second buzz. And then another and another. I raised my face out of my hands to see what was going on. There were hundreds of fireflies flying in the air, lighting up the pond like tiny flickering candles.
Further away, I heard a faint sound of grass moving in the darkness. Many of the fireflies flew towards the noise. And then I saw a silhouette of the curves of a woman near the other end of the pond. She took a step into the light of the fireflies. It was Kaylee. She was smiling at me in a fitted long-sleeve top and a short skirt. We stood there for a few moments, just looking at each other. My tears were now coming from joy. I grinned back at her.
“Sorry,” she broke the silence. “It took me longer than I thought.”
I looked at her high-heeled sandals and giggled with a shake of my head.
Kaylee followed my eyes and looked down at her feet. “Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking.” She bent over to unstrap and take off her sandals. Then, she lifted her light skirt and waded into the pond. As she walked towards me, ripples moved across the pool of water. Upon meeting me, she wrapped her arms around my waist and placed her cheek against my chest. I embraced her body in my arms.
Strangely, the fireflies reacted by moving around us like we were star actors of some kind of show. “Uh, guys, what are you doing?” I asked them.
Kaylee lifted her head from my chest and watched them fly around us. “Let them be,” she joked.
She turned her attention back to me, and gazed into my eyes. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” I replied.
Still holding one another, we inched closer. I closed my eyes and felt her soft lips press against mine. My eyelids tightened firmer and quivered upon feeling a euphoric sensation that moved throughout my soul.
Life sometimes has its strange twists and turns. I was glad that we both took a chance on this one.
Hi Everyone,
I hope you enjoyed this romantic scene. To help me evoke my emotions, I listened to the songs “Sleepy Eyes” by Elohim & Whethan and “Stargazing” by Kygo ft. Justin Jesso while I was writing this, which I posted below. I found the picture shown above, of a boy and girl in a shallow pond in a field of grass at http://gde-fon.com/download/guy_girl_lake_water_night_fireflies/401727/1680×1050.
My cousin-in-law Christine Ogawa Karamatsu (she has a career in law, health, and government affairs) saw on social media that I’m working on projects involving construction, so she brought her construction law book at our family Thanksgiving dinner at my parents’ house in Pearl City, Hawaii. I have so much love and gratitude for her thoughtfulness. Happy Thanksgiving!
Positive practices every single day, every single hour, every single minute, and every single second is the only way.
If our soul is consistently filled with love, our mind will always be filled with love, and if our mind regularly has love, our actions will constantly deliver love to everyone . . everyone. Only then, will we understand enlightenment.
End the excuses. If we get mad for stupid reasons, we will get killed by our stupidity. No one can save us, but ourselves.
As for all the negative people – they can steal, scream, and hit. We’ll just transcend past them and their little messed up box while we enjoy the many good things in our lives and the universe.
If we all attain inner peace, our country and world will be at peace.
This song “Freedom” by Steve Angella and Pusha T. has the beat and sound of my writing.
– Haiku Poem #74, Jon Riki Karamatsu, November 4, 2017 –
(I’m pictured here in my office wearing a political campaign shirt of my mentor, former Hawaii Representative Jerry L. Chang and currently head of the government affairs division of the University of Hawaii at Hilo.)
Death will come for all of us, so there’s no need for a majority of our bickering. On our last days alive, if we have that luxury, we won’t care about most of our disagreements and worries. We can focus on the water that’s in our cup and keep filling it up by taking action on what we can control. Peace in our mind, body, and soul through our daily practices such as but not limited to learning, execution on our passionate ideas, exercise, sharing positivity with others, mindfulness, and gratitude.
I’m feeling this song “Better” by Rihanna ft. The Chainsmokers & Martin Garrix. For those of you going through some struggles and heartache, I dedicate this song to you. With the bigger picture in mind, most things are not worth fighting about. If balance can be achieved, there’s a chance to save love.