The mind is constantly trying to figure out what page it’s on in the story of itself.
Close the book. Burn the bookmark.
End of story.
Now the dancing begins.
Ikko Narasaki, roshi, died 1996
This assumption – [that happiness comes through having or storing up something] – which promises a way out of dissatisfaction, actually supports the nagging insecurity of assuming that we are fundamentally lacking, inadequate, or needing to be propped up. As long as this assumption holds the mind, we can never realize the independent balance…. This is why, if you really want freedom from the suffering that the mind creates, you have to be prepared to challenge the assumption of gain and loss. Otherwise, you’ll be chasing its mirages and projections forever, and losing touch with the way to freedom.
Ajahn Sucitto
The question we need to ask ourselves is whether there is any place we can stand in ourselves where we can look at all that’s happening around us without freaking out, where we can be quiet enough to hear our predicament, and where we can begin to find ways of acting that are at least not contributing to further destabilization.
Ram Dass
The ongoing news about the pandemic activates the anxious side of our brain and leaves us feeling shaky, imagining worst-case scenarios for the future. These words from Kabir remind us that much of the time we are not grounded in where we actually are.
Be strong then, and enter into your own body; There you have a solid place for your feet. Think about it carefully! Don’t go off somewhere else!
Kabir says this: just throw away all thoughts of imaginary things,
And stand firm in that which you are.
Kabir, 15th-century Indian mystic poet