The soul, like the moon,
is now, and always new again.
And I have seen the ocean
continuously creating.
Since I scoured my mind
and my body, I too, Lalla,
am new, each moment new.
My teacher told me one thing,
live in the soul.
When that was so,
I began to go naked,
and dance.
Lalla, Kasmiri poet and mystic, 1320 – 1392
Original Kasmiri translated by Coleman Banks
But I always think that the best way
to know God
is to love many things
Vincent Van Gogh
photo anilmahajan19
There must be a time of day when the man who makes plans forgets his plans, and acts as if he had no plans at all.
There must be a time of day when the man who has to speak falls very silent.
And his mind forms no more propositions, and he asks himself: Did they have a meaning?
There must be a time when the man of prayer goes to pray as if it were the first time in his life he had ever prayed;
when the man of resolutions puts his resolutions aside as if they had all been broken,
and he learns a different wisdom
Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island
For us to be free, we need to stop believing the thoughts that something is wrong. We need to stop running away from the very vulnerability that needs a profound type of self-compassion. Whatever we cannot embrace with love or with acceptance imprisons us. It keeps us in the trance of a bad self. So the path of emotional healing is really the path of stopping the war, of pausing, of not believing the judgments, of not continuing to punish ourself. Instead of running away and trying to escape the rawness that is here, really meeting it with a deep, deep compassion.
Tara Brach, Meditations for Emotional Healing
Even though the hawthorn trees are in full bloom here and the old proverb, – “ne’r cast a clout til May be out” – tells us that it is time to switch to summer clothing, one cannot do so yet. Frequent heavy showers are followed by calm and sunshine, which is good for growth in the fields and the garden, but not so good for being able to get out for a walk in them. A lot of mental energy is wasted in wishing that external circumstances were different and “suited” us better.
A monk said to Master Tozan, ” Cold and heat descend upon us. how can we avoid them?” Tozan said, “Why don’t you go where there is no cold or heat” The monk said, ” Where is the place where there is no cold or heat?” Tozan said, “When cold, let it be so cold that it kills you; when hot, let it be so hot that it kills you.”
In this teaching “kill you” means kill your ideas about how things have to be for you to be happy. It may sound odd but you can be practicing mindfulness with discomfort and pain and be quite happy. The happiness comes from the pleasure of just being present, and also from the confidence that you are gaining – a confidence that, with ongoing practice, you will be able to face whatever life brings you, even pain, aided by tools such as mindfulness.
Jan Chozen Bays, How to Train a Wild Elelhant.
The good news they do not print.
The good news we do print.
We have a special edition every moment,
and we need you to read it.
The good news is that you are alive,
that the linden tree is still there,
standing firm in the harsh winter.
The good news is that you have wonderful eyes
to touch the blue sky.
The good news is that your child is there before you,
and your arms are available: hugging is possible.
They only print what is wrong.
Look at each of our special editions.
We always offer the things that are not wrong.
We want you to benefit from them
and help protect them.
The dandelion is there by the sidewalk,
smiling its wondrous smile, singing the song of eternity.
Listen! You have ears that can hear it.
Bow your head. Listen to it.
Leave behind the world of sorrow, of preoccupation,
and get free.
The latest good news
is that you can do it
Thich Nhat Hanh
photo Paul Davidson
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