One thing does not lead to another. We don’t practice awareness and then get silence, peace, and spaciousness, though it can seem that way. We practice awareness and we are practicing silence, peace, and spaciousness. The process itself is the outcome. And with attention on thisherenow we recognize it in glimpses, in places we had […]
Archives for April 2015
Nisargadatta Maharaj
There is nothing to practice. To know yourself, be yourself. To be yourself, stop imagining yourself to be this or that. Just be. Let your true nature emerge. Don’t disturb your mind with seeking. – Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
THE INSTRUCTOR’S AWARENESS
“By now, you should realize, or shall we say be aware of, several themes running throughout this book. One of these themes is awareness itself. You cannot change what you are not aware of, and that truth is no more important than in the world of self-improvement. We need to be more aware of what […]
JOY = THE GOOD MOOD OF THE SOUL
“Anne Robertson, a Methodist pastor, writer, and executive director of the Massachusetts Bible Society, explains how the Greek origins of the words happiness and joy hold important meaning for us today. She explains that the Greek word for happiness is Makarios, which was used to describe the freedom of the rich from normal cares and […]
WHAT IS LOVE?
“It took me three years to whittle these definitions and concepts from a decade of interviews. Let’s take a look. Love: We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness, […]
PRACTICING THE GIFTS OF IMPERFECTION
“Practicing courage, compassion, and connection in our daily lives is how we cultivate worthiness. The key word is practice. Mary Daly, a theologian, writes, “Courage is like—it’s a habitus, a virtue: You get it by courageous acts. It’s like you learn to swim by swimming. You learn courage by couraging.” The same is true for […]
WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE IN THE STANDS?
“Going back to Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech, I also learned that the people who love me, the people I really depend on, were never the critics who were pointing at me while I stumbled. They weren’t in the bleachers at all. They were with me in the arena. Fighting for me and with […]
THE VULNERABILITY PRAYER
“I took a deep breath and recited my vulnerability prayer as I waited my turn: Give me the courage to show up and let myself be seen. Then, seconds before I was introduced, I thought about a paperweight on my desk that reads, “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not […]
Keep Chewing
Meditation practice is something that can be like tasting a bitter fruit. At first, it seems very bitter, but as long as you keep chewing, you’ll discover its sweetness. The same true for meditation. “When you are taking to meditation and beginning to change your habits, it sometimes looks as if you’re having a very […]
Be Nobody
Here is another poem from William Menza. He is a lay dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Be Nobody Work to be nobody, But a humble unknown sage, Silently helping others, As best as you can. And like a bird Flying through the sky Leave no tracks, no […]
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