You are whole and also part of larger and larger circles of wholeness
you many not even know about.
You are never alone.
And you already belong.
You belong to humanity. You belong to life.
You belong to this moment, this breath.
Jon Kabat-Zinn
photo g. dallorto
So, how can we achieve inner contentment? There are two methods. One method is to obtain everything that we want and desire – all the money, houses, and cars; the perfect mate; and the perfect body. The Dalai Lama has already pointed out the disadvantage of this approach; if our wants and desires remain unchecked, sooner or later we will run up against something that we want but can’t have. The second, and more reliable, method is not to have what we want but rather to want and appreciate what we have.
The Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living
photo of Black Friday 2013 by powhusku
If you wish to see the truth
then hold no opinions for or against anything.
Comparing what you like against what you dislike
is the disease of the mind.
Seng-T’san, Third Zen Patriarch, The Hsin Hsin Ming
photo ketterechts
Continuing to post some quotes from Thich Nhat Hanh who is very ill in hospital as a reminder to keep him in your thoughts
Do not just look for what you want to see,
that would be futile.
Do not look for anything,
but allow the insight to have a chance to come by itself.
That insight will help liberate you
Thich Nhat Hanh
photo: passiondutrain
Joy is being willing for things to be as they are
Charlotte Joko Beck, Nothing Special
photo A Davey
We encounter a lot of “enemies” each day – queues, bad weather, deadlines, meetings that don’t go according to plan, traffic slowing us down when we are in a hurry, people who disagree with us, events we do not like. We instinctively try to avoid, grumble about them and turn them into enemies, with us quickly feeling like victims. This quote reminds us that a lot of our dissatisfaction is self-created, a lot of stress caused by our own minds.
When an enemy arises in your life, even though you may kill it,
another will simply arise,
because all arisings are simply a manifestation of your own state of consciousness
Kalu Rinpoche
photo crepoastoram
