When opposition is necessary

Participants in my classes often express concern that the meditative principles of learning to "let go of grasping" and "acceptance without judgment" will turn them into doormats. Far from it. These spiritual approaches will actually empower us when we get some practice under out belt.


Here's something I like by a well known meditation teacher:

“Loving someone does not mean automatically acquiescing to their every whim. Sometimes love shows itself in saying no to an attitude or desire that is harmful. But your opposing must be done tenderly, without anger or condescension.”

--Eknath Easwaran

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Meditation and school work

Here's an article I'd like to call to your attention:

Simple Meditation Helps Students Concentrate

This research, by the way, has really been in the meditation news a lot the past few days. Here's a little excerpt from the article:

Simple meditation techniques, backed up with modern scientific knowledge of the brain, are helping kids hard-wire themselves to be able to better pay attention and become kinder, says neuroscientist Richard Davidson.

“A simple anchor like one’s breath is a centuries-old meditation technique, but it turns out to have some very beneficial qualities in terms of changes in both the brain and behaviour,” he said.

Remember: we don't have to be students to benefit in this way.
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Wednesday life form blogging

Photo from Wikimedia Commons
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Monday meditative picture blogging

Photo from Wikimedia Common

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Mistakes

I want to share with you this morning a delightful and very short article by Tim Freke:

Making Mistakes

And here's a little excerpt:

"It seems to me that I am profoundly paradoxical. On the one hand so big and on the other so small. Within me are unfathomable depths, yet 'Tim' is also necessarily limited and imperfect. On my spiritual journey I once believed that I could one day perfect 'Tim' into some sort of enlightened being who was always at his best. Now it feels to me that the journey is about embracing all that I am."

I would like to assert that this is one of the most important spiritual lessons ever.

Ever.
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A simple poem by a sincere meditator

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Wednesday life form blogging

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

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Organizing things

Hmmm. This is something to ponder, I would say:

“When we have our body and mind in order, everything else will exist in the right place, in the right way. But usually, without being aware of it, we try to change something other than ourselves, we try to order things outside us. But it is impossible to organize things if you yourself are not in order.”

- Shunryu Suzuki

Monday meditative picture blogging

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

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The importance of observing the mind

This is very hard for many people to comprehend. It's true all the same. The key word here is "unobserved". Once we start observing our mind, our suffering begins to decrease.

"The greater part of human pain is unnecessary. It is self-created as long as the unobserved mind runs your life."

- Eckhart Tolle

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A process of becoming

It's possible I may have posted this one before but, if so, it was a long time ago. I think it's worth a repeat in any case:

“Life is a process of becoming. A combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.”

-- Anaïs Nin 

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A very interesting observation

Hmmmmm. I never thought about it quite this way before:

"We cannot be present and run our story-line at the same time."

-- Pema Chödrön

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Here's something my Facebook friend, Doris McFate posted today. Isn't it lovely? It's a patch of feverfew:

Just in case you've forgotten...

Something about self-improvement

Here's something to think about:

"We do not have to improve ourselves; we just have to let go of what blocks our heart."

-- Jack Kornfield

You know, I've observed a lot of suffering over the years when people talk to me about how very hard they try to engineer their lives, to force themselves (as it were) to fulfill an ideal image of what they believe they ought to be. I just don't see that approach working, people. Really I don't.
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Wednesday life form blogging

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

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A wonderful Zen proverb

You know, every Twelve-Step program in existence teaches this one:

Student says
I am very discouraged
what should I do?
Master says
encourage others

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Something about truth

Ah, this one is truly a classic:

"If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?"

-- Dogen

Now my question for you is this: Does the question above refer to geographical sort of location or is it about another kind of being "right where you are"?
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Monday meditative picture blogging

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

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Helpful definitions

These are from Zen Living by McClain and Adamson:

1. Meditation is a conscious process wherein the meditator makes an effort to be fully aware without attaching to thoughts and feelings.

2. Mindfulness is what we practice during meditation, but can also be practiced during daily activity. It is the process of being fully aware of our external and internal environments 

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