The world of suffering changes into a place that brings forth goodness when we can consciously relate to it, rather than identify with the circumstances we are thrown into.
We don’t have to drink the water we’re swimming through.
Ajahn Sucitto, Turning the Wheel of Truth
Any moment, however simple, can be transformative – it all depends on the quality of our attention.
By stopping and paying attention to some of the everyday aspects of our existence, we can wake up to every unique moment of our lives: the particular expression on our child’s face as we say goodbye in the morning, the way the wind blows the sycamore trees on this day compared to others…..
The beauty of life is in the day-do-day details that we can miss when we forget to stop and observe what is before us in each new moment. From the perspective of mindfulness, every moment has value and is worthy of being present to. When we practice the art of stopping, we can enjoy the blessings of nature that are always on our doorstep. We must simply take the time to stop and listen, open our eyes and our senses, and cease being consumed by our tumble dryer of thoughts.
Mark Coleman, Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self-Discovery
Our breathing is a stable solid ground that we can take refuge in. Regardless of our internal weather – our thoughts, emotions and perceptions- our breathing is always with us like a faithful friend. Whenever we feel carried away, or sunken in a deep emotion, or scattered in worries and projects, we return to our breathing to collect and anchor our mind.
We feel the flow of air coming in and going out of our nose. We feel how light and natural, how calm and peaceful our breathing functions. At any time, we can return to this peaceful source of life.
We may like to recite: “Breathing in I know that I am breathing in.
Breathing out I know that I am breathing out.”
We do not need to control our breath. Feel the breath as it actually is. It may be long or short, deep or shallow. Conscious breathing is the key to uniting body and mind and bringing the energy of mindfulness into everyday life.
Thich Nhat Hahn
Just the wind blowing: allowing life to move through this moment:
Take a comfortable position,
Now imagine you are in a beautiful place in nature. Surrounded by beauty you can feel the wind blowing around you
Let all of your conscious experience — sounds, sensations, thoughts, emotions, everything — become the wind.
Feel all of it moving and changing, arriving, moving around and over you, and then going.
Notice how the wind takes on different qualities — soft, strong, harsh, gusty, gentle.
Relax as the wind blows around you.
Let it come and go in all its forms. You remain here, in calmness, abiding.
Jeffrey Brantley and Wendy Millstine, Daily Meditations for Calming Your Anxious Mind,
Externally, if you let go of fame and profit, your body will be at peace.
Inwardly, if you let go of over-thinking and rumination, your mind will be at peace.
Anonymous Taoist, late Qing dynasty (1644-1711), Secret Records of Understanding the Way,
Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything.
Maybe it’s about unbecoming everything.
that really isn’t you
so you can be who you were meant to be
in the first place.
Paulo Coelho
