Illustration by Miki Howenstein

……. This kind of self-reflection is the beginning of the most significant education of your life. In coming to know yourself (understanding how your past has brought you to this point and what is beneficial for you to keep and what is best to discard), you can subsequently move towards what you wish to learn outside of yourself—specifically, the things which actually peak your interest and excite you to learn. When education becomes enjoyable, you naturally wish to continue with it progressively.  (From page 18 of the book “Jumbo Jumble”)
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Author’s Comment: Schools are thought of as the main centers of education. However, the most important, meaningful (for life) education comes from self-reflection and living out what is learned therein. Knowing your true self takes a lot of time and discipline and, when done correctly, can bring you a lifetime of contentment and excitement in learning more about your deepest passions.

                                                                                Illustration by Miki Howenstein

​….. When you become confident that you can bring your deep-down desires to life, your whole being shines bright and beckons others to do the same.  (From page 378 of the book “Jumbo Jumble”)
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Author’s Comment: The first 11 months of the book (Jumbo Jumble) takes the reader through a search to realize her deep-down desires (not to be confused with ephemeral desires) and develop a confidence to fulfill them, to the betterment of herself and the living beings around her. This is truly THE JAMBO SPIRIT, and fits in well with the spirit of this incredible season. HAPPY HOLIDAYS wherever you may be!

                                                                 Illustration by Miki Howenstein

…….. When you take action, your hopes become embodied in physical reality. While fear has often bound you in the past, you now find that the best remedy to fear is to take action. There are bound to be failures along the way, yet each failure simply points to other ways that may bring success. (From page 346 of the book “Jumbo Jumble”)
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Author’s Comment: Many of us get inundated with information through the news, social media, TV, commercials, etc. This often causes our spiritual condition to be jerked about uncontrollably since we have little if any capacity to influence these people, companies, and events. It is only through action that our spirits are appeased and we can feel that we are making a difference in our own lives and beyond. Without action, we drown under the never-ending waves of life, but with action, our hopes become embodied and rise to the surface, becoming a life raft  for ourselves and others.

                                                                           Illustration by Miki Howenstein 

​…….. A primary ingredient towards building a better future is faith (and hope), strengthened with a sincere belief that such a future is possible. Such hope can be nurtured by moving towards a higher version of yourself by doing good works and being open to life in all its forms. Faith is cultivated through a consistent effort to move towards others striving to do the same, while being constantly on guard against ideas, people, and actions which destroy your faith…….(From page 312 of the book “Jumbo Jumble”)
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Author’s Comment: To be most effective, HOPE IN A BETTER FUTURE MUST BE EMPOWERED WITH ACTION, AND ACTION MUST BE INSTILLED WITH HOPE. As you build your faith, put it into practice and feel it grow and energize you. Otherwise, it remains as a dormant seed which isn’t nourished, and eventually loses all potential of beautifying the world. Ask yourself “How can I beautify the world?” And do it!

                                                             Illustration by Miki Howenstein 

What is this mystery called life? Most often, it is defined as all things having the spirit of breath and carrying out continuous processes whereby they relate to the outside world through giving and taking therefrom—in other words, all animals (humans included) and plants that constitute nature. In this sense, spirit and nature are one and the same..,…. (From page 284 of the book “Jumbo Jumble”)

​Author’s Comment: How fortunate we are to be granted this mysterious treasure called life! And how unfortunate that many of our fellow creatures (human and other) endure such deep suffering that they are unable to appreciate this incredible miracle. There is no greater gift you can give than to create conditions which reduce suffering while increasing the joy of being alive. And this is one of the missions of JAMBO.

                                                                                  Illustrated by Miki Howenstein

​…… It is believed by some that they must reach perfection before acting. RUBBISH! Not only does this never happen, but such a belief leads to making the perfect become the enemy of the good.,…. (From page 246 of the book “Jumbo Jumble”)
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Author’s Comment: As an English teacher in Japan, I find that many Japanese want to be confident in saying something (in English) perfectly before making the attempt to speak. I often share this true story. When I first came to Japan, I went to a social dance with several “respected elders.” I’d learned the word for “exercise” in Japanese (un-doe) and wanted to show off during the dance, saying “This is good exercise.” However, I accidentally said “This is good POOP.” (The word for poop is un-koe). Strangely, this connected me more to the good folk around me, as they came to realize if it’s OK for a teacher to make such a faux pas, it’s OK for them to do so too. Simply do what you can with as much integrity as possible, and move on.

Illustration by Miki Howenstein

…….　Looking at dignity and inclusion from this perspective, we must be wary of our well-intended charitable actions that may actually be detrimental. By making others more dependent on handouts for simple􏱤􏱉􏰰 􏰰􏰲investing our time and money towards empowering these people to better care for themselves and, going a step further, personally working with them in the spirit of true kinship, making them a part of our lives, we move more towards a society where the spirit of dignity and inclusion prevails. (From page 212 of the book “Jumbo Jumble”)
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Author’s Comment: For those who are well-to-do, giving generously to charity can be noble and much-needed. There is also the potential for financial giving to perpetuate the cycle of poverty and hopelessness among the recipients, doing more damage than good. Truly beneficial and meaningful giving empowers those who receive to take control of their own lives and thrive, enabling them to make a living and eventually become “empowerers” themselves.

                                                                      Illustration by Miki Howenstein

Seeking out and finding a purpose in life can be one of the most difficult and also most rewarding endeavors you can undertake. Peripherally, though it may sound easy to “have an ultimate goal,” most of us simply accept earning money, getting married, being beautiful or one of the countless other messages given to us in our schools, advertisements and the media as being “our purpose.”  ….. (From page 180 of the book “Jumbo Jumble”)
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Author’s Comment: This month’s reflections focus on making the effort to find what is truly important for you, and and what you deeply FEEL is your life’s purpose. For better or for worse, nobody else can tell you what that is, though many people (friends, parents,….), media (social media, advertisements, ….) and institutions (schools, churches, governments,….) will try. Some of the goodly intentioned may provide sound counsel, but, in the end, only you can determine where your life mission lies.

                                                                         Illustration by Miki Howenstein

…… On achieving an understanding of the essence of these universal values and their benefit to all of humankind, our society can become more unified to find ways of implementing and integrating them into our everyday lives. Surely, great differences of opinion will exist on the best incorporating mechanisms of these values into our communities. However, the conflicts will be steeped in a spirit of unity, discovering ways that can benefit all, a kind of spirit which lives by, “More for you means more for me.”….. (from page 147 of the book “Jumbo Jumble”)
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Author’s Comment: In this passage, the word “essence” is of the essence. The various terms which are used to define various universal ideals may have different meanings and connotations across different societies and cultures. However, our deep-down needs as human beings are very similar. Striving to understand those needs and create spaces where they can be met in our everyday lives is something each of us can do—and is the kind of atmosphere which JAMBO strives to create.

Illustration by Miki Howenstein

The concept of non-violence includes an outer and an inner dimension, simply understood as not harming others (or yourself) deliberately, physically or intangibly ………  (From page 114 of the book “Jumbo Jumble”)

​Author’s Comment: Nonviolence is often understood in terms of how we relate to other human beings, and yet, in a more wholistic way, it also must be included in the way we relate to all other living beings, including ourselves. A very important premise of Jambo’s way of life is that you must be good to yourself if you wish to be good to others. This includes not only not hurting yourself (through destructive bad habits) but also being nonviolent to yourself spiritually (by not wracking yourself with guilt, blaming yourself, etc while developing the good you have to give to others and focusing on positive actions you can take for yourself and others).