That it hurts to care is borne out in its etymology, for “care” derives from the Indo-European word meaning “to cry out” as in a lament. Caring is not passive but an assertion that no matter how strained and messy our relationships can be, it is worth something to be present, with others, doing our small part.
Katherine Norris, Acedia
When challenges or obstacles arise for us, we don’t have to get so intimidated; we can say, “Yes, it’s an obstacle, but it is not intrinsically bad; it’s not going to destroy me.” To create a relationship with the obstacle, learn about it, and finally overcome it is going to be a helpful thing to do. It gives us a chance to cultivate wisdom and skillful means. It gives us confidence. We cannot eliminate all of the challenges or obstacles in life— our own or anyone else’s. We can only learn to rise to the occasion and face them
Dzigar Kongtrul, Light Comes through
What lies behind us and what lies before us
are tiny matters compared to what lies within us
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Mindfulness is not thinking about things. (It is not “meditating on” some topic, as people often say.) It is a non-discursive observation of our life in all its aspects. In those moments when thinking predominates, mindfulness is the clear and silent awareness that we are thinking. I found it helpful and relaxing when someone said, “For the purpose of meditation, nothing is particularly worth thinking about.” Thoughts can come and go as they wish, and the meditator does not need to become involved with them. We are not interested in engaging in the content of our thoughts; mindfulness of thinking is simply recognizing we are thinking.
Gil Fronsdal
Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all. We try to do what we think is going to help. But we don’t know. We never know if we’re going to fall flat or sit up tall. When there’s a big disappointment, we don’t know if that’s the end of the story. It may be just the beginning of a great adventure. Life is like that. We don’t know anything. We call something bad; we call it good. But really we just don’t know.
Pema Chodron
No Coming. No Going.
Everything is pretending to be born and to die.
That is a lie
An interesting quote from Thich Nhat Hahn. I am not sure that I completely get it but I think it means that – at one level – nothing really comes or goes, nothing is born or dies, but rather everything simply transforms into something else. How can I apply that to my life? Well, when I get fixed on something as it currently is and desperately want to hold on to that, I suffer. But if I am able to see that everything is in a process of transforming, and thus not ending, then I do not need to hold on and suffering does not arise. If I realize how limiting it is when I hold fixed stories about myself or my life, and instead move toward a full openness and acceptance of what may emerge, then I can more easily deal with the inevitable changes which each moment brings.
