Great Faith, Great Doubt, Great Determination These are like the three legs of a tripod. It is uncertain whether we can accomplish the dharma if one of these three legs is missing. If all three are present, however, we would be more likely to miss the ground with a hammer than we would be to […]
Your Real Enemies
July 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment
“Your real enemies are the self-defeating thoughts, paltry expectations, and beliefs that you must live at less than full throttle. You will experience as much pain as you are willing to accept. You do have control over how much you hurt. Pain happens; suffering is optional. You can choose thoughts that bring you relief rather […]
Just As It Is
July 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Leave Yourself Alone The paradox of our practice is that the most effective way of transformation is to leave ourselves alone. The more we let everything be just what it is, the more we relax into an open, attentive awareness of one moment after another. – Barry Magid, “Five Practices to Change Your Mind”
Be an Island Unto Yourself
July 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment
May I Be of Service May I become an island for those seeking dry land A lamp for those needing light, A place of rest for those who desire one, And a servant for those needing service. – Shantideva, “May I Become an Island”
Cultivating a Beginner’s Heart
July 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities,” wrote Shunryu Suzuki in his book “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind,” “but in the expert’s there are few.” As much as I love beginner’s mind, though, I advocate an additional discipline: cultivating a beginner’s heart. That means approaching every encounter imbued with a freshly invoked wave of love […]
The Fear Cure
July 1, 2015 by
On Thursday evening June 18, I went to hear Dr. Lissa Rankin, MD talk about The Fear Cure, her new bestseller book. As she was attending to patients who wrote their own prescriptions according to the formula in Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself were often afraid to implement their plans. […]
Treat Meditation Like Music You Can Dance To
June 29, 2015 by
These words of wisdom from the great Alan Watts teach us to treat meditation like music you can dance to. Almost all of us like music and, if you are like me, you love to dance. We could say that meditation doesn’t have a reason or doesn’t have a purpose. In this respect it’s unlike […]
Guided Meditation for Sleep
June 28, 2015 by
This guided meditation for sleep is something I could have used last night. Like many guided meditations, this one begins with the imagery associated with a quiet and peaceful beach, warming and relaxing you body and mind. The last twenty-five minutes or so consist of relaxing music to keep you sleeping well. Sleep is usually […]
Commitment is Very Important in Life
June 26, 2015 by
Here are more words of wisdom from Swami Satchidananda from The Golden Present. In today’s lesson, we learn that commitment is very important in life. “Commitment is very important in life. Those who want to lead a spiritual life are here to change all these things and to rebuild a better world. Remember that. You […]
Listening Closely to the Music of Your Mind
June 25, 2015 by
Andrew Olendzki, Ph. D. is a Buddhist scholar, teacher, and one of my favorite writers. I read everything of his that appears in Buddhist magazines. In these words of wisdom from Tricycle.com, he writes about listening closely to the music of your mind. In this way, we learn to see life just as it is, […]
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