In here

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A lot of what we consider to be an objective contact with reality is actually “interpretation contact”, filtered through stories we tell ourselves about our lives and other people. Our practice in staying in the present – or with simple felt contact –  is to help us detach a little from our perceptions of the future and the past and question their reliability as pointers to what is actually happening.

Much of what you see “out there” is actually manufactured “in here” by your brain …

Only a small fraction of the input to your occipital lobes comes from the external world;

the rest comes from internal memory stores and perceptual-processing modules.

Rich Hanson, Buddha’s Brain

photo elvert barnes

Moments are all we have

lyrath

How do we cultivate the conditions

for joy to expand?

We train in staying present.

Pema Chodron

photo of Spring wildflowers at Lyrath House, Kilkenny

At our feet

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And the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles,
no matter how long,
but only by a spiritual journey,
a journey of one inch,
very arduous and humbling and joyful,
by which we arrive at the ground at our feet,
and learn to be at home.

Wendell Berry, The Unforseen Wilderness

photo frankoweaver

Being too busy

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I practice meditation

so that I can notice the small purple flowers by the roadside

that I would otherwise miss

Anagarika Shri Munindra, 1915 – 2003, Vipassana teacher

photo matt lavin

Sunday Quote: Open our eyes

glendalough SK

Happiness is available.

Please help yourself.

Thich Nhat Hahn

photograph of glendalough Co Wicklow

Not a dress rehearsal

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Treat every moment as your last

It is not a preparation for something else

Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginners Mind

photo by Alan light