Our tendency to compare nearly always robs us of joy
and stops us living fully the life that we actually have.
What you do not have you find everywhere
W.S. Merwin, American Poet, born 1927, Provision
photo evelyn simak
Tag: Be fully present
Open to surprise
Gorgeous amazing things come into our lives when we are paying attention:
Mangoes, Grandchildren, Bach, ponds…
This happens more often when we have as little expectation as possible.
If you say, “Well, that’s pretty much what I thought I’d see,” you are in trouble. At that point you have to ask yourself why you are even here.
[…] Astonishing material and revelation appear in our lives all the time. Let it be. Unto us, so much is given. We just have to be open for business.
Anne Lamott, Help Thanks Wow: Three Essential Prayers
photo: laitche
Stop pushing
In one of his insightful talks Zen master Shunryu Suzuki said that in your practice you should walk like an elephant. “If you can walk slowly, without any idea of gain, then you are already a good Zen student.” There’s a mantra for your religion: Walk like an elephant. It means to move at a comfortable pace. No rushing toward a goal. No push to make it all meaningful.
Thomas Moore, A Religion of One’s Own: A Guide to Creating a Personal Spirituality in a Secular World
photo charlesjsharp
with thanks to the always inspiring and nourishing blog https://davidkanigan.com/
Doing the ordinary
Our guide for today and this week: doing the ordinary things with attention and with love.
When the mind is at peace,
the world too is at peace.
Nothing real, nothing absent.
Not holding on to reality,
not getting stuck in the void,
you are neither holy nor wise, just
an ordinary fellow who has completed his work.
Layman Pang, 740 – 808, Chinese Chan layman
photo florian plag
Beneath
Be the silent watcher of your thoughts and behavior.
You are beneath the thinker.
You are the stillness beneath the mental noise.
You are the love and joy beneath the pain.
Eckhart Tolle
photo freddy2001
At home
Why do we always think that happiness is to be found in the future, or when this or that happens,
and not seek it in the life that we have or in the here and now?
I was passionate,
filled with longing,
I searched
far and wide.
But the day
that the Truthful One
found me,
I was at home.
Lal Ded, (Mother Lalla), 1320 – 1392, Kasmiri Hindu poet and mystic
