And we pray, not
for new earth or heaven, but to be
quiet in heart, and in eye,
clear. What we need is here.
Wendell Berry
Tag: impermanence
Light and darkness
Go slowly
Consent to it
But don’t wallow in it
Know it as a place of germination
And growth
Remember the light
Take an outstretched hand if you find one
Exercise unused senses
Find the path by walking it
Practice trust
Watch for dawn.
Marilyn Chandler McEntyre, What to do in the Darkness
Don’t grasp, don’t reject
Instead of blaming our discomfort on outer circumstances or on our own weakness, we can choose to stay present and awake to our experience, not rejecting it, not grasping it, not buying the stories that we relentlessly tell ourselves. This is priceless advice that addresses the true cause of suffering – yours, mine and that of all living beings.
Pema Chodron, Taking The Leap
Infinite First Moments
The thing about reality is that there is no later, there’s no second moment when one is going to be enlightened, when one is going to understand non-being, where there’s no outside, no second moment – only infinite first moments arising as now. If you recognize this as the way the universe is, everything coming and going, not belonging to anyone, that’s the universe of not-self, a sense of space.
Katherine Thanas, The Truth of This Life
Unravelling negative beliefs
Applying attention to smaller emotions—or simply focusing on form, sound, or physical sensations—develops your capacity to look at long-term, overwhelming emotional states.
Once you begin to grow your “attentional muscles,” you can begin drawing attention to larger emotional issues. As you do so, you may find yourself directly confronting the underlying self-judgment and judgment of others as “enemies.” You may unravel the belief in being stuck, or the blind spot that inhibits your awareness of your potential. Almost certainly, you will confront the “myth of me,” the tendency to identify with your loneliness, low self-esteem, perfectionism, or isolation.
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, The Aim of Attention
Making no effort
If we sit quietly, making no effort, life expresses itself clearly; it simply happens on its own.
There’s nothing else to get. The great truth is obvious.
The heart beats; the breath comes and goes.
Darryl Bailey, Awakening
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