Peaceful abiding describes the mind as it naturally is…
The human mind is by nature joyous, calm, and very clear. In meditation we aren’t creating a peaceful state—we’re letting our mind be as it is to begin with…
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
Tag: balance
Sunday Quote: Getting out in Nature
Perhaps the truth depends upon a walk around the lake.
Wallace Stevens
Living life more fiercely
Yeats’ quote could almost be written about meditation.
I love the way he says we can life a “fiercer” life by touching into calm, or seeing what is truly important, by simplifying things down to the essential.
We can make our minds so like still water that beings gather about us that they may see, it may be, their own images, and so live for a moment with a clearer, perhaps even with a fiercer life because of our quiet.
W B Yeats
Blue Monday again: Looking deeper
Supposedly, today is another “Blue Monday”, when we are more prone to depression. Or maybe just an ordinary Monday, when we find it hard to get going, and notice more the difficulties when they arise. Or simply another day when we struggle with the aspects of our life that feel are stuck at this moment. One way or the other we have to deal with the ups and downs of life. Looking deeper and gaining insight into the overall nature of life may help.
The Buddha did not teach that life is constant misery, nor that you should expect to feel pain and unhappiness at all times. Rather, he proclaimed that suffering is an unavoidable reality of ordinary human existence that is to be known and responded to wisely. While you, like all beings, may try your hardest to experience only the good and avoid the bad, there is simply no way for any of us to escape unpleasant experiences. They are part of the dance, life being true to its own nature.
Philipp Moffitt, Dancing with Life
Three simple steps towards a more balanced New Year: 3
The third step demands a little more thought: Simplify
Today’s world is full of information and complications. Decide what is essential in your life and make space for that by moving away from as many of the unnecessary things as possible. Focus on one thing at a time. Do less. Get rid of clutter. Say no. Reflect on what is “enough” in your life. Deconnect more.
Our life is frittered away by detail… simplify, simplify. Henry David Thoreau
Three simple steps towards a more balanced New Year: 1
The first step seems the most evident: Each day set aside at least 5 – 10 minutes just for yourself, to do nothing.
As I have written before, finding quiet time isn’t a luxury; it’s essential for protecting your health.
So sometime each day just sit in silence. Go somewhere where you don’t feel pressured to do anything. There is no need to make it complicated, or to think of it as a sacred ritual. Maybe just sit with a cup of tea or coffee in the morning, before the work day starts. Become aware of your breathing. Become relaxed in the stillness. When your mind wanders, just come back to the awareness of your breathing. Let go of doing for a few minutes. Be good to yourself.
