Beloved, gaze in thine own heart,
The holy tree is growing there
W.B. Yeats, Irish Poet, The Two Trees
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day
Sunday Quote: the holy tree
Author: Karl Duffy
This is a Mindfulness Practice Blog written in Laois, Ireland, containing reflections on meditation practice, psychological growth, spirituality and wellness which hopefully may encourage and benefit others as they reflect on their lives and seek to develop a more balanced, mindful and conscious approach to it.
True wealth
For in the true nature of things,
if we rightly consider,
every green tree is far more glorious
than if it were made of silver or gold
Martin Luther King
The present moment
If you view everything as practice,
your suffering will disappear.
Shido Bunan, 1603-1676, Zen Master
Ready
I do not write every day, I read every day, think every day, work in the garden every day, and recognize in nature the same slow complicity. The same inevitability.
The moment will arrive, always it does, it can be predicted but it cannot be demanded. I do not think of this as inspiration. I think of it as readiness.
Jeanette Winterson, Art Objects
Not two
In the world ‘as it really is, there is neither self nor other than self.
To come directly into harmony with this reality, just simply say, when doubts arise, “Not two”.
When you enter into this non-separation, all things manifest the One, nothing is separated and nothing is excluded.
Seng-Ts’an, Faith in Mind
Sanctuary
In the Middle Ages, anyone could gain protection from other people – even the legal authorities – by simply running into a sacred building and saying the word “Sanctuary!” This ritual triggered a system of safety respected by everyone in the society.
Simple rituals like saying “Sanctuary!” signal to our bodies and minds that we’ve entered a sacred recovery space. By creating your own small rituals, you can teach your mind and body to drop into this healing state.
Once you have a place, a time, and a ritual, you can touch in with the peaceful energy of sanctuary any time you feel especially vulnerable. We can all recover a bit of peace, confidence, and hope whenever we need it. The door inside us – the state of mind that leads to peace – is real. It opens to an infinite sacred space in our own hearts, minds, and souls. And that is real as well. If we go there and ask for sanctuary, we can always find it. Little by little, breath by breath, our spirits can recover from anything.
Martha Beck Blog, How to seek sanctuary in a Time of Chaos
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