Half Circles

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These last few months I have come to see more and more how some sense of longing seems to be a part and parcel of human nature, and will never go away. It comes from the fact, as John O’Donohue wrote in Anam Chara, that the human person is athreshold where many infinities meet”. This can explain why, for many of us, a sense of wonder can exist in a world which is finite:

The human being is an in-between presence, belonging neither fully to the earth from which she has come, nor to the heavens toward which her mind and spirit aim….The creator of the universe loves circles: time and space are circles, the day is a circle, the year is a circle, the earth is a circle. But when creating and fashioning the human heart, the creator only created a half-circle, so that there is something ontologically unfinished in human nature. That is why you can’t enter your own life or inhabit your full presence without a vital and real relationship with some other person.

John O Donohue, The Presence of Compassion

photo hedera baltica

Supporting your Practice

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Those of you who have been following this blog for a while will know that I try to keep it fairly simple, don’t comment too much and let the texts speak for themselves in support of developing a meditation or mindfulness practice. And I rarely promote sites despite getting requests to do so,  as I try to keep the focus on meditation practice. However today I will deviate for once in recommending a site which does meditation supplies, as I really like the quality and the ethos of the person who is behind it, and I use them myself.  The site is called www.dhammarts.com.  It is worth a visit and a read about the philosophy behind their work. Based in Europe,  but run by a young Thai lady who is dedicated to supporting meditation practice,  its materials are produced using traditional methods in small villages in north-east Thailand,  and thus it assists the local economy in poor rural areas. It is a small-scale operation, focusing on the quality of all the materials, on maintaining traditional skills  and on the ethical way they are produced.   At this time of year when maybe you are considering giving a gift to someone, this could be an option in supporting someone’s meditation practice while helping rural villages in Thailand at the same time.

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When busyness distracts

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Become aware of impatience as it arises during the day. Be aware of the signals in the body (tapping fingers) and the talk in the mind (“Hurry up!”) that accompany impatience. Ask yourself, “Why am I in a rush? What do I want to rush ahead to get to?” See what answers arise.

Jan Chozen Bays, How to train a Wild Elephant

photo david pickersgill

Capable of attention

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The season of Advent has begun. It is all about use of time and waiting, making space and simplifying things in our lives to see what is truly important.

Those who are unhappy have no need for anything in this world but people capable of giving them their attention. The capacity to give attention to a sufferer is a very rare and difficult thing; it is almost a miracle; it is a miracle. Nearly all those who think they have this capacity do not have it. Warmth of heart, impulsiveness, pity are not enough. In the first legend of the Grail it is said that the Grail belongs to the first comer who asks the guardian of the vessel, a king paralysed by the most painful wound, “What is wrong with you? What are you going through?” Only the person who is capable of attention can do this.

Simone Weil, Waiting for God

photo Acabashi at English Language Wikipedia

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