Tag: Present moment

Four seasons in a day

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bad _weather

The weather is very changeable here in Ireland this January. Beautiful bright days are followed by stormy ones, which give way to grey and then another early Spring day appears. It is no wonder the plants are confused.

We all accept that no one controls the weather. Good sailors learn to read it carefully and respect its power. They will avoid storms if possible, but then caught in one, they know when to take down the sails, batten down the hatches, drop anchor and ride things out, controlling what is controllable and letting go of the rest. Training, practice, and a lot of firsthand experience in all sorts of weather are required to develop such skills so that they work for you when you need them. Developing skill in facing and effectively handling the various “weather conditions” in your life is what we mean by the art of conscious living.

Jon Kabat-Zinn

….and not being upset

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Every moment in life is absolute itself. That’s all we have. There is nothing other than this present moment; there is no past, there is no future; there is nothing but this. So when we don’t pay attention to every little this, we miss the whole thing. And the contents of this can be anything. This can be straightening our sitting mats, chopping an onion, talking to one we don’t want to talk to. It doesn’t matter what the contents of the moment are; each moment is absolute. That’s all there is, and all there ever will be. If we could totally pay attention, we would never be upset. If we’re upset, it’s axiomatic that we’re not paying attention. If we fill our days and we miss not just one moment, but one moment after another, we’re in trouble.

Charlotte Joko Beck

Keep it simple

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Really we operate on a very small basis. We think we are great, broadly significant, and that we cover a whole large area. We see ourselves as having a history and a future, and here we are in our big-deal present. But if we look at ourselves clearly in this very moment, we see we are just grains of sand — just little people concerned only with this little dot which is called newness.

We can only operate on one dot at a time, and mindfulness of mind approaches our experience in that way. We are there, and we approach ourselves on the very simple basis of that. That does not particularly have many dimensions, many perspectives; it is just a simple thing.

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

photo robert lawton

Our tendency to blame

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When we are disappointed or frustrated, when we’re in pain or when our day’s not going well – these are times when we are likely to … search for an object of blame. Our backbone softens and our heart hardens. Our mantra becomes “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be having this problem”. We believe someone stole our joy and that becomes our view. When we blame we are failing to deal with our own mind. We’re hardening our frustration and jealousy into a little ball and throwing it at somebody else. The minute we say, “it’s your fault!” we are abdicating the throne of our mind

Sakyong Mipham,   Ruling your world

Dont do much

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Wood Duck (Drake)

Meditation  is  simply a question of being. You just quietly  sit,  your body  still,  your speech silent, your mind at  ease,  and  allow thoughts to come and go, without letting them play havoc on  you. If you need something to do, then watch the breathing. This is  a  very  simple process. When you are breathing out, know  that  you are  breathing  out.  When  you breath  in,  know  that  you  are breathing  in, without supplying any kind of extra commentary  or internalized mental gossip.

Sogyal Rinpoche, Essential Advice on Meditation

Not grasping

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Some things may not be grasped in the moment they are happening. They are  in motion, and thus cannot be fully clear. Things are continually changing, even from minute  to minute. Our main practice is to try to be aware of each breath and each moment, as if it is fresh, without seeing it with preconceived eyes. A second aspect is to say “Don’t know” frequently, and allow events develop, without placing immediate judgmental labels as to whether they are “good” or “bad”
The past mind is unattainable’; the present mind is unattainable; the future mind is unattainable
The Diamond Sutra