We often give the things that bother us more weight than they deserve, forgetting that all things arise and pass away
The great beings see with their wisdom eye
all things like reflections of forms
They do not become stuck in the mire
of so-called objects.
Arya Nagarjuna, 2nd-century Indian Buddhist philosopher, Sixty Verses of Reasoning
Within each of us is the acorn, the soul seed, the germ of our unique genius and destiny. Our goal here is to uncover the acorn to reconnect with the inner angel.
.. Don’t go looking for what’s wrong with us, rather, … go in search of our genius
Elizabeth Lesser
You aren’t your thoughts – you’re the sky holding them.
Suffering starts when you become the weather.
Steven Hayes, A Liberated Mind
The ego’s habit is to try to control things, to make them secure.
But life isn’t like that.
The more we try to grip, the more suffering we create.
Mindfulness allows us to open to the way things are, to respond wisely rather than react blindly.
Ajahn Sucitto, Retreat talk
A very windy day yesterday.
As the leaves fall, my favourite Autumn chant, the final lines of the Heart Sutra – finding an inner rest, beyond all coming or going.
Gate gate pāragate pārasaṃgate bodhi svāhā
[“Gone, Gone, Gone beyond, Gone completely beyond. Awakening, So be it”]
Gone. I release my grip on the small self. I let it go.
Gone. I let thoughts, opinions, and ideas drift away like clouds.
Gone beyond. I cross to the other shore, beyond division.
Gone completely beyond. Nothing is left to cling to, I rest in vast openness.
Awakening. Clear seeing dawns, the truth shines quietly.
So be it. May this awakening be sealed in my heart.
For one who is free, there is no more accumulation;
For one who is released, there is no more clinging.
Like a drop of water on a lotus leaf,
Or a mustard seed on the tip of a needle,
Nothing sticks to one who does not grasp
The Buddha, Sutta Nipāta 4.14
The liberated mind is like water on a lotus – untouched, unstained. Even pleasant or painful experiences no longer leave a trace when the heart is free.
Ajahn Amaro, The Island
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