Tag: impermanence

Allow all to pass

Karl DuffyLeave a comment

Just do your best. This is the whole of practice, the whole of our life. All sorts of chatter comes up in the midst of the circumstances of our life. Something breaks, we clean it up or fix it up. Or we can start chattering about, “Why does this happen to me? Oh, I always do this. What am I going to do? What does this mean?” We all know the consequences of that. After speaking with someone, do we continue holding on to the discussion with “internal” chatter, like, “Why did they say that to me? It’s not fair.” If that chatter — habits of reactions, habits of thoughts and emotions—arises, then right there in the noticed chatter is our practice. Just be chatter in the midst of doing, and allow chatter to pass. 

Elihu Genmyo Smith , Zen Buddhist teacher, Do Your Best

Reset your compass

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When you’re overwhelmed by illness or loss, by the conflicts around you, when you feel you are lost in the darkness, sometimes all you can do is to breathe consciously and gently with your pain and anguish and know that with this simple gesture you are resetting the compass of your heart, no matter your circumstances.

By taking that one simple, mindful breath, you will return again to compassion and realize that you are more than your fears and confusions.

Jack Kornfield

The language of descent

Karl Duffy1 Comment

On this Good Friday in these pandemic times….

We seldom go freely into the belly of the beast. Unless we face a major disaster like the death of a friend or spouse or loss of a marriage or job, we usually will not go there. As a culture, we have to be taught the language of descent. That is the great language of religion. It teaches us to enter willingly, trustingly into the dark periods of life. These dark periods are good teachers. Religious energy is in the dark questions, seldom in the answers. Answers are the way out, but that is not what we are here for. But when we look at the questions, we look for the opening to transformation. Fixing something doesn’t usually transform us. We try to change events in order to avoid changing ourselves. We must learn to stay with the pain of life, without answers, without conclusions, and some days without meaning. 

Richard Rohr

When things are tough…

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Don’t despair too much if you see beautiful things destroyed, if you see them perish.

Because the best things are always growing in secret.

Ben Okri

Sunday quote: Forgiving life

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If we forgive life for not being what we told it to be, or expected, or wished, or longed for it to be,

we forgive ourselves for not being what we might have been also.

And then we can be what we are, which is boundless.

John Tarrant

There is goodness all round

Karl Duffy1 Comment

And this, our life…..finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.

Shakespeare, As You Like It.