Suppose we did our work
like the snow, quietly, quietly.
leaving nothing out.
Wendell Berry
photo rod allday
Month: February 2016
Celebrating just as it is
We are having a strange mix of weathers this year in Ireland. Daffodils already in bloom, buds on the trees, followed by snow and sleet yesterday, and having to avoid large puddles when getting out of the car. Good practice in celebrating little moments of beauty amid everyday changes
In the scenery of spring,
we can’t say one thing is better, the other worse;
The flowering branches are
of themselves, some are short, some others long.
Ryōkan, 1758 – 1831
photo light snow on Lough Dan in Wicklow by bea&txm
Wishing
We spend great energy in mental processes wishing things were different than they are. Wishing the traffic jam didn’t exist. Wishing the boss were a little nicer, wishing our children would take our advice, wishing, wishing, wishing. Acceptance is a key to a happier life. If we can just try to accept what is, and that wanting otherwise is often wasted energy, we will be happier. We would be better able to experience the moment more fully with this state of mind.
William Berry
photo AnRo0002
Allowing
Let your mind wander in the pure and simple.
Let all things take their course
Chuang Tzu c 370 – 300 BC
Sunday Quote: Being attentive
This is the first, the wildest, and the wisest thing I know:
That the soul exists and is built entirely out of attentiveness
Mary Oliver
photo juanedc
Moment by moment
Suppose a king might hear the sound of a lute and say “What is that sound – so delightful, so tantalizing, so intoxicating, so ravishing, so enthralling?” They would say “That, sire is called a lute…” Then he would say “Go and fetch me the lute” They would fetch the lute but he then said “Enough of the lute. Fetch me just the sound”.
They had to explain that the sound could not exist independently, but was created by the separate strings, box and arch, all elements working simultaneously.
Just as the king could not find the sound of the lute, so we cannot find our self. When we investigate, any thoughts of ‘me’ or ‘mine’ or ‘I am’ do not occur.
Based on the Buddha, Vina Sutta
Mindfulbalance 