Insights for July/August 2018
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“Don’t be surprised how quickly the Universe moves once you’ve decided.” Consciousnessnow, Instagram.
“If you think that the whole world is your enemy, imagine that you are a basket weaver, and you have a huge pile of reeds. To make baskets you have to weave them in the right way. Similarly, faced with the challenges you encounter, you have to weave an inner basket big enough to hold all the ups and downs of life without them overwhelming you. In short, you need to take care of your mind wisely. Oral advice transcribed by the author.JIGME KHYENTSE RINPOCHE (b. 1964)
"There is a line around the block to get incarnated on earth." Ascended Master Djehuty, via Tom Jacobs, www.tdjacobs.com."
Our soul's job is to figure out how to go from fear to love." Tom Jacobs, www.tdjacobs.com.
“It might feel like your goal is stretching away from you even as you move toward it, but don't be fooled. That's just your growing awareness of the steps it takes to get from point A to point B -- but you can still take each step as it comes, in its own time. That's all we can ever do; and it gets everyone where they need to go, from a baby learning to crawl to Albert Einstein figuring out relativity.” Planet Waves Astrology by Eric Francis. Planetwaves.net."
Author Maxine Hong Kingston has lead a war veteran's writing group for twenty years, and says the group's motto is: "Tell the truth, and so make peace." Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present.
"The idea of former and future life is essential to the real practice of Buddhism. You have to be scared of where you are going in the next life to have the energy to overcome your deeper instincts. I call it the circuit breaker. Everything is interconnected. If you're endlessly interconnected, then every little thing counts. If you only get pissed of for one minute and fifty-eight seconds instead of two minutes, those two seconds are big. That's scary, but it brings you awake." Robert Thurman, 'Buddha's Champion,' Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, Lion's Roar, September, 2018.
“There is nothing in nature that blooms all year long. So don’t expect yourself to do so either.” Tiaorg, Instagram.
“Pay attention to what makes you feel most at home, grounded, and centered, whether it’s a location, person, activity, or thing. Find ways to bring more of those things, places, and people into your life on a regular basis. Go to places that feel like home, Connect with those that bring you back to yourself, and curate items that root you in your truth.” Stephanie Zamora, spiritualmovement, Instagram.
Meditation:
“When you face the inner energies that most frighten, overwhelm, and bind you, it is important to not identify with them but to stay present with an observing mind that is not taking sides." Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present.
“Meditation knows what to do. This ancient practice knows what to do. Let go and let it do its work.”
“Meditation enables “letting go”, which is a major step to self-awareness and wellness.” Margaret Gervais
“We practice ‘right concentration’ not to experience blissful states but to help us entertain uncertainty.”
“Ancient texts compare the process of concentration to the taming of a wild animal. It is a difficult endeavor, full of ups and downs, but one that yields reliable results if practiced diligently and with patience.”
“As concentration increases, the mind and body relax. Thoughts diminish, emotional pressures weaken, and a kind of calm takes over. The mind gradually comes under some degree of control and settles down.”
"The unconscious is the repository of mystery." Mark Epstein, ‘Meditation’s Secret Ingredient,” Tricycle, Spring, 2018.
"I have discovered that the more I practice [meditation], the more layers of my endlessly perfected, elaborate self-construction fall away. Peeling away the layers of identity is sometimes very painful. Sometimes it has felt like I was going to die. Of course, I didn't die, but something did."
"Ultimately, the invitation [of Insight Meditation] is to let whatever is rising be present without meddling with it. Just by turning loving attention to how life is appearing in this moment, insight can arise and we can find a way forward through our difficulties." Melissa Myozen Blacker, Roshi, 'Meeting Ourselves as we Are." Lion's Roar, September 2018.
"It is no coincidence that the words 'medication' and 'meditation' are only one letter different. They both come from the same Latin root word, medeor, meaning "to heal or to make whole."
"Empirical evidence shows that when we meditate, it triggers a self-repair mechanism in our own bodies. We stop producing cortisol and adrenalin, and instead enhance the production of immune-boosting endorphins and serotonin, arming our body against invasive bacteria, viruses and other imbalances. These changes also promote positive mental states. Indeed, many anti-depressants prescribed these days are Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRI's), which we naturally produce when we meditate." David Michie, "How to Evoke the Medicine Buddha, Lion's Roar, September 2018.
“Meditation is an arduous practice of controlling the mind towards a transformation of character. “ Dr. K.K. Tan, www.kktanhp.com
“Let your steps follow your breath, not the other way around.”
“Everyone is breathing, but not everyone is aware that they’re breathing.” Thich Nhat Hanh
Anxiety:
Many people are contacting me recently about dealing with anxiety. I have a lot of good tools to share, but this also showed up in my email today: Jack Kornfield writing about "Making Friends With Fear." Link: https://jackkornfield.com/making-friends-with-fear/You can search my blog posts on my web site, www.theinsightcenter.net for “anxiety” and see some other insights and tools, and I will soon be writing a specific blog about tools for working with anxiety.
Grief: “We all sit on the edge of a mystery. We have only known this life, so dying scares us-and we are all dying. But what if dying were perfectly safe? What if you could approach dying with curiosity and love? What if dying were the ultimate spiritual practice?” Ram Dass
Seven books recommended by LION'S ROAR, September, 2018, for how to help dying people - and how to die yourself:
The Five Initiations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully, by Frank Ostaseki,
Awake at the Bedside: Contemplative Teachings on Palliative and End-of-Life Care, edited by Koshin Paley Ellison and Matt Weingast,
Making Friends With Death: A Buddhist Guide to Encountering Mortality, by Judith L. Lief,
No Death, No Fear: Comforting Wisdom For Life,by Thich Nhat Hahn,
Living in the Light of Death; On the Art of Being Truly Alive, by Larry Rosenberg,
Leaning into Sharp Points; Practical Guidance and Nurturing Support for Caregivers,by Stan Goldberg,
Being With Death and Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death, by Joan Halifax.
“If I am going to die, the best way to prepare is to quiet my mind and open my heart. If I’m going to live, the best way to prepare is to quiet the mind and open my heart.” Ram Dass.
“Knowing how to use our suffering is essential to realizing true happiness.” Thich Nhat Hanh.
“So far you’ve survived 100% of your worst days. You’re doing great.” Spiritualmovement, Instagram.
“You cannot live without dying.” Consciousnessnow, Instagram
Healing:
"Pain helps us inhabit our divine nature."
"Ask yourself, how does my pain serve my soul's journey to move from fear to love?"
"Acknowledge pain and look at the higher perspective of how can this possibly serve my journey? And bring love to those painful experiences."
"You are learning that you are stronger than pain and pain empowers you." Tom Jacobs, www.tdjacobs.com
“A body is a field of moving energy and a system of information, as life continues it’s fluctuations, we tend to gather attachments, burdens and sorrows. We hold them so tightly that they become embedded in the body, causing changes and disruptions in the flow of our system while also limiting the access to the best possible versions of ourselves - this sometimes manifests itself as illness or disease as well as lack of belief in our own power and a lack of understanding of the universe.”
“When someone enters a purification process such as meditation, the practice of yoga asanas, or clean healthy eating, among many other things, the body begins releasing these knots of attachment, freeing up the blockages in our system of information, allowing our field of energy to return to balance and move more freely and powerfully. This causes changes in our body, not just physical changes such as the healing of disease or ailments, but immaterial and internal ones as well, such as believing in oneself more, the growth of love, and the aspiration to grow into more wisdom.” Yung Pueblo.
Relationships/Friendships:
“Real love comes with a powerful recognition that we are fully alive and whole despite our wounds or our fears or our loneliness. It is a state where we allow ourselves to be seen clearly by ourselves and by others, and in turn, we offer clear seeing to the world around us. It is a love that heals.” Sharon Salzberg, “Real Love.”
“It’s okay to outgrown those who prevent you from growing.” @positivelypresent, spiritualmovement, Instagram.