Wherever we are
we have the capacity to enjoy the sunshine,
the presence of each other
and the wonder of our breathing.
Thich Nhat Hahn
Category: Practice Tips
Even welcoming our fears?
In our practice we work at turning toward every aspect of our experience and holding it in awareness. At times this is hard and we can only do it for a brief moment. Some of the things that happen in a day can be unwanted, and we cannot truly say that we “welcome” it. But try this: See if you can be more aware of what your mind quickly labels as “unpleasant” or not what you “wanted” at this moment. Then see if you can name what is happening in your body and in your mind in that instant. Maybe creating this momentary space could help you see the thoughts, feelings and sensations as passing events in the field of awareness, and to not over-identify with them or be overwhelmed by them. Practicing in this way, we try to be present with all the experiences of our day rather than avoiding, contracting or pushing them away.
Can you accept the moments of anger and fear as guests,
be willing to receive them with kindness without feeling obliged to serve them a five-course meal?
Christina Feldman
Searching to be something
We practice in order t
o become more awake. This includes becoming more aware of the various strategies we use to avoid being with a basic fear. We have numerous ways to deflect any sense of insecurity, of not being in control, of not always being sure of where we are going. So we have a tendency to look to ourside sources or achievements for support, to define ourselves by what we do or by some labels or badges. We are often afraid of just being ourselves, because we have learnt to believe that it is not enough. And one of the preferred ways to deal with this today is that we try harder, we do more.
However, what we find when we practice is that there is nothing to do, and even less to hold on to. There is simply this moment, this breath. Nothing needs to be added to make it compete. We rest in it, and in some way we are complete in it too. We do not have to place more demands on it. We slow down the chatter in the mind. We do not have to search in order to be. And that is the greatest liberation.
The arrogant mind never stops looking for identity, and this identity always defines itself through atributes: “the beautiful one”, “the smart one”, “the creative one”, “the successful one”………. We are always searching for something to be.
Dzigar Kongtrul, Light Comes ThroughI have spoken at times of a light inside, a light that is uncreated and uncreatable to the extent that we can deny ourselves and turn away from things, we shall find our unity in that little spark inside, which neither space nor time touches.
Meister EckhartJust get it done
A small quote from my favourite book of the last few months, which I read on my summer holidays, and return again and again. It is a commentary on the Buddha’s first sermon, containing the foundation of Buddhist thought and practice. I recognize the truth in the words stating how a lot of our efforts are leaning forward, looking to some future pleasant feeling, reducing our awareness of what is actually happening.
Our attitude is frequently one of wanting to get it done, wanting to have it finished in order to be peaceful, to relax, or to enjoy ourselves…. We want to be a feeling.
Rushing along to be something in the next moment, we fail to open and appreciate this moment
Ajahn Sucitto, Turning the wheel of Truth
Working with our emotions 3:Not taking in suffering
To acknowledge that suffering has an origin is already a form of abandonment of sorts. It means rather than thinking “I am the victim of a frustrating world that refuses to conform to my wishes” , we acknowledge that suffering is an inevitable part of life and it is something we take within ourselves by the way we react to circumstances…..We tend to personalize everything. Why everything gets at us and makes us so angry is because of something our mind is doing – but to acknowledge that entails giving up some position of “me” and “my emotions” that are right and justified. Now, I’m not saying that abandonment means not feeling anything – that attitude really drives people into dangerously repressed places. The way is about seeing how things get under our skin ad chafe our heart. It’s about abandoning the action of taking in dukkha. We widen our perspective into being aware of how we are feeling and with that clear and steady awareness, we can watch the mental process very carefully.
Ajahn Sucitto, Turning the Wheel of Truth
Let go
Good and bad,
happy and sad,
all thoughts vanish into emptiness
like the imprint of a bird in the sky.
Chogyam Trunkpa Rinpoche
Mindfulbalance 