We measure ourselves against others and imagine that the measurement defines the self.
Enkyo Pat O’Hara
Tag: Joy
Sunday Quote: Being true to oneself
We have been raised to fear the yes in ourselves
Audre Lorde, 1934 – 1992, American writer and civil rights activist
Essential and non essential
Each person naturally receives his allotted share in his life.
He need not concentrate on it, he need not search for it; the allotted portion is there.
You may rush around in search of riches, but what happens if death suddenly comes?
You should clear their minds of these non-essential things and concentrate on studying the Way.
Dogen, Shobogenzo Zuimonki
Being content
When you have no desire, everything is sufficient.
But when always seeking, then a lot of things seem impoverished.
However, plain vegetables can soothe hunger.
A patched robe is enough to cover this bent old body.
Alone, I hike with a deer. Cheerfully I sing with village children.
The stream beneath the cliff cleanses my ears.
The pine on the mountain top fills my heart.
Ryokan, 1758–1831
Getting out of the way
Bernie Glassman, a Zen teacher, has a practice called ‘Bearing Witness.’ You go into a hard, complex situation with the mind of not knowing, of having no idea or opinion, and instead, feel, listen, and be in the actual situation, becoming one with it. This nonjudgmental state of mind can position you so that you might be able to find a way to help, not out of your own need to make something better so that you feel better or in order to alleviate your own fear, but so that you act when empty of yourself. You get yourself out of the way.
Natalie Goldberg, The True Secret of Writing: Connecting Life with Language
Sunday quote: Letting life flow
Let life live you for a while
instead of trying to make yourself live life
Alan Watts
Mindfulbalance 