The years to come — this is a promise — will grant you ample time
to try the difficult steps in the empire of thought where you seek for the shining proofs you think you must have.
But nothing you ever understand will be sweeter, or more binding,
than this deep affinity between your eyes and the world.
We did not survive in nature by ignoring incoming stimuli, and like birds or chipmunks are more accustomed to glancing around constantly, attentive to both threat and opportunity. But we are no longer crouching in a hostile, natural environment and the states to which our mind restlessly turns…are generally internally constructed threats and imaginary opportunities.
The cultivation of mental focus, the consistent return to a primary object, and the settling into ever greater states of tranquility has the effect of gradually reigning in the mind’s random wandering and settles it down in a way that gathers and consolidates the power of awareness. Awareness is the primary currency of the human condition, and as such it is inherently of immense value and deserves to be spent carefully. Merely sitting in a serene environment, letting go of the various petty disturbances that roil and diminish consciousness and experiencing as fully as possible the poignancy of the fleeting moment – this is an enterprise of deep intrinsic value, and aesthetic experience beyond words.
Andrew Olendzki, Unlimiting Mind
Walk around feeling like a leaf
know you could tumble at any second.
Then decide what to do with your time.
Naomi Shihab Nye
Life is no passing memory of what has been
nor the remaining pages in a great book
waiting to be read.
It is the opening of eyes long closed.
David Whyte
A lot of clouds on the mountains these days. A lot of movement in the weather, generally unsettled, gliding by, passing through. The mountains remain unmoved:
The clouds above us come together and disperse;
The breeze in the courtyard departs and returns.
Life is like that, so why not relax?
Who can keep us from celebrating?
Lu-Yu
Consciousness is said to be a field, a plot of land in which every kind of seed has been planted, seeds of suffering, happiness, joy, sorrow, fear, anger, and hope. The quality of our life depends on which of these seeds we water. The practice of mindfulness is to recognize each seed as it sprouts, and to water the most wholesome seeds whenever possible.
Thich Nhat Hahn
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