heart – Page 166 – Mindfulbalance

Sunday Quote: What is here

November 25, 2012November 25, 2012 Karl DuffyLeave a comment

I discovered the secret of the sea
in meditation upon the dew drop.

Kahil Gibran

Basic wealth

November 24, 2012November 24, 2012 Karl DuffyLeave a comment

We already have everything we need. All these trips that we lay on ourselves–the heavy-duty fearing that we’re bad and hoping that we’re good, the identities that we so dearly cling to, – never touch our basic wealth. They are like clouds that temporarily block the sun. But all the time our warmth and brilliance are right here. This is who we really are.

Pema Chodron

What we have to work with

November 22, 2012November 22, 2012 Karl Duffy1 Comment

The plain concerns of ordinary work are the raw material – the materia prima as the alchemists called it – for working out the soul’s matter.

We work with the stuff of the soul by means of the things of life.

Thomas Moore

The heart of practice….

November 20, 2012November 20, 2012 Karl Duffy1 Comment

One learns only one thing,

how to rejoice in life.

Osho

Accomodating

November 16, 2012November 16, 2012 Karl DuffyLeave a comment

Mindfulness meditation doesn’t change life: lIfe remains as fragile and unpredictable as ever: Meditation changes the heart’s capacity to accept life as it is. It teaches the heart to be more accommodating, not by beating it into submission, but by making it clear that accommodating is a gratifying choice. accommodation of the heart is not always easy. Knowing that it is a possibility is a great inspiration. Having an accommodating heart is the ultimate freedom. Practicing accommodation on the small, moment-to-moment disappointments of life – not forgetting our preferences but remaining spacious and relaxed when they are not met – prepares us to deal with the larger challenges of life.

Sylvia Boorstein, Don’t just do something, sit there

Giving up some positions

November 14, 2012November 14, 2012 Karl DuffyLeave a comment

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

About this Blog

Mindfulbalance supports the slow, patient practice of mindfulness meditation, as a way to find balance and meaning in life, reduce stress and develop health and wellbeing. It contains reflections to encourage the practice of meditation as well as occasional posts from psychology, spirituality and the wisdom traditions. The daily posts are prompted by Rilke's advice: "Write about what your everyday life offers you, your sorrows and desires, the thoughts that pass through your mind, and your belief in some kind of beauty". Written in County Laois, Ireland