Jerry Braza - The Seeds of Love: Growing Mindful Relationships

Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.

www.tuttlepublishing.com

Copyright 2011 Jerry Braza

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Braza, Jerry.

The seeds of love : growing mindful relationships / by Jerry Braza.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-1-4629-0020-6 (ebook)

1. Consciousness. 2. Attention. 3. Love. 4. Interpersonal relations. I. Title. BF311.B7158 2011 158.2--dc22

2011012373

Distributed by

North America, Latin America & Europe

Tuttle Publishing

364 Innovation Drive

North Clarendon, VT 05759-9436 U.S.A.

Tel: 1 (802) 773-8930

Fax: 1 (802) 773-6993

info@tuttlepublishing.com

www.tuttlepublishing.com

Japan

Tuttle Publishing

Yaekari Building, 3rd Floor

5-4-12 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku

Tokyo 141 0032

Tel: (81) 3 5437-0171

Fax: (81) 3 5437-0755

sales@tuttle.co.jp

www.tuttle.co.jp

Asia Pacific

Berkeley Books Pte. Ltd.

61 Tai Seng Avenue #02-12

Singapore 534167

Tel: (65) 6280-1330

Fax: (65) 6280-6290

inquiries@periplus.com.sg

www.periplus.com

Indonesia

PT Java Books Indonesia

Jl. Rawa Gelam IV No. 9

Kawasan Industri Pulogadung

Jakarta 13930, Indonesia

Tel: 62 (21) 4682 1088

Fax: 62 (21) 461 0207

crm@periplus.co.id

www.periplus.co.id

First edition

15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1106TP

Printed in Singapore

TUTTLE PUBLISHING is a registered trademark of Tuttle Publishing, a division of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd.

CONTENTS

Foreword

Our role as gardeners is to choose, plant and tend the best seeds within the garden of our consciousness. Learning to look deeply at our consciousness is our greatest gift and our greatest need, for there lie the seeds of suffering and of love, the very roots of our being, of who we are. Mindfulnessitself a seedis key to the care of this garden. It is the guide and the practice by which we learn how to use the seeds of suffering to nourish the seeds of love.

In The Seeds of Love Jerry Braza offers a translation of various wisdom traditions as insights on how to take care of the gardenerourselvesand the gardenthe soil of our consciousness. The mindfulness practices contained in this book are gardening tools that you will rely on again and again.

This is a book that will help anyone seeking to understand and nurture the seeds that create true love in self and others. Turn to these pages when you need a gentle reminder to tend the beautiful seeds of love that reside within.

Thich Nhat Hanh

March 2011

Introduction

Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, Grow, grow. The Talmud

If ancient wisdom tells us that even a blade of grass needs encouragement, how much more do the people in our lives need us to whisper words of inspiration into their lives? Imagine the face of a child hearing, You are so precious. You can do it. Im so glad you were born. Picture the look on your loved ones face when you say, You are perfect as you are. You are such a joy. I am here for you. Thank you for being in my life.

And if you received continual whispers of You are enough, just as you are, how would your life be different? Would you be better able to whisper encouragement into the lives of those you love?

Gaining the wisdom and insights you need to grow and thrive in an atmosphere of love, compassion and kindness will prepare you to deeply water those seeds in the lives of others. As a partner, parent, family member or friendwe all want our relationships to grow in love. We long to love more deeply, remove barriers and open new pathways to love so we can find true happiness. It is within relationships, including our relationship with ourselves, that the seeds of love are born and nurturedor not. Healthy, supportive relationships enrich our journey along lifes path. They help define us and often teach us lessons we will need down the road. Are you ready to step out in faith? Our journey begins on a garden path.

Like a garden, relationships require thoughtful tending. With that image in mind, we will look deeply at the seeds that grow in the garden of our consciousness. We will discover how the practice of mindfulness, living in the present moment, can become our most valuable tool in nurturing the seeds of love and transforming the seeds of pain.

Growing up, I spent many hours helping my parents tend our backyard garden. The fruits of our labor offered nourishment during the long Wisconsin winters. But the effort of tendingtossing compost, tilling the soil, planting the seeds and watering the cropsoffered rewards of its own, including the opportunity to witness the transformation of seeds coming to life. Im sure my parents would be delighted today to find the garden has become both metaphor and muse to me, representing the fertile foundation of our spiritual and emotional well-being.

The seeds, both positive and negative, that are watered throughout our lives influence and affect the quality of our life from birth to death. Every interaction with people, situations, ideasincluding what we consume and absorb from the mediaimpacts our senses and consciousness. Accessing the deep interior world of consciousness is like turning the soil of our garden. Whether we simply rake the surface or dig down to the roots, we are shaping the garden of our consciousness to develop a healthy self and positive relationships. If you are dedicated to tending your garden, you will become aware of seed consciousness and learn how to focus on nurturing healthy behaviors and transforming challenging life experiences.