Philosophy 02 (Nov 15 - Dec 24)

[winston]

The Non-reactive Mind

The Buddha says, ideally, you want to make your mind like a broken gong. People can hit it, but there’s no reverberation.

- Thanissaro Bhikkhu, “The Broken Gong”

[winston]

Create New Habits

It is entirely possible to create new, mindful, positive habits.

This is certainly possible with the practice of loving speech and deep listening toward ourselves.

Positivity and gratitude slowly become a new, mindful habit.

- Dang Nghiem, “Rehearsing Suffering”

[winston]

Altruism As a Healing Path

People who are hurting are engulfed with their hurt.

But if they can become more resilient, they are better positioned to have a social purpose — and the act of engaging in altruistic behavior is itself a healing path.

- Jo-ann Rosen, “Trauma-Informed Mindfulness through a Neuroscience Lens”

[winston]

Let Go of Insights

It is easy to get attached to any insight we have, especially if it is a profound one but to be truly free, we must also let go of even our most precious realizations.

- Santiago Santai Jiménez, “Free from Suffering and Free to Suffer”

[winston]

Forgiveness and Compassion

If you’re not ready to forgive the person who’s harmed you then don’t go there but have compassion for those you have harmed.

- Robina Courtin, “Purification Is a Psychological Process”

[winston]

What to Do with 24 Hours?

Everyone is given twenty-four hours a day but we all use it differently.

Living a more awakened life depends on when and where we choose to practice.

Are we going to squeeze practice into part of the day or build the practice so it becomes our lives?

- Grace Song

[winston]

Stop Resisting Sadness

When we stop resisting sadness — trying to sweeten it with phone calls, distractions, or pleasures —and just let ourselves feel it in all its heaviness, darkness and pain, it disappears by itself and even transforms into delight.

- David Edwards

[winston]

The Wondrous Working of the Infinite

The more one tries to control and measure the world, the more one experiences fear and apprehension.

- Primoz Korelc Hiriko, “Relinquishing Preference through ‘The Silent Sages of Old’”

[winston]

Equanimity Is an Anchor

Equanimity is said to be an anchor. It protects you against the “worldly winds” — pleasure and pain, praise and blame, gain and loss, and fame and disrepute — by keeping you anchored so you’re not tossed about by those winds.

- Daisy Hernández, “The Noble Abode of Equanimity”

[winston]

Unpredictability Is an Opportunity

Spiritual practitioners thrive in unpredictable conditions, testing and refining the inner qualities of heart and mind.

Every situation becomes an opportunity to abandon judgment and opinions and to simply give complete attention to what is.

- Shaila Catherine, “Equanimity in Every Bite”