Philosophy 03 (May 24 - Dec 25)

[winston]

No Such Thing as Perfect Practice

Sometimes we get the idea that there’s a best practice, a right practice, a most powerful practice.

But different practices and different qualities or nuances of practice, might be most appropriate for us at different times as our practice, understanding, and recognition of what’s helpful, needed or skillful evolves.

- Martin Aylward, “Give Your Practice Permission to Change”

[winston]

Making Room to Reconsider

When our habits and preconceptions no longer guide us, we can make room to consider a situation from multiple angles and make better and more compassionate decisions.

What am I feeling in my body? What if I placed myself in someone else’s position?

- Grace Song, “Hit Pause with Mindful Journaling”

[winston]

Death Is a Beautiful Friend

I think maybe we can reconcile with the fact that we’ll die sooner or later.

Why don’t we say this could be a beautiful event for myself?

We can die with gratitude, appreciation and love. We can do that.

Death is telling us how to live our life with gratitude, love and enjoyment.

- Kazuaki Tanahashi, “Awakening in Every Moment”

[winston]

Fooled by the Self
We usually take ourselves too seriously; this is one way the self fools us.

- Ajahn Sundara, “Seeing the Silliness of Me”

[winston]

Sadness as an Opening

The profound sadness that overwhelms us when we understand the impermanent nature of all phenomena, opens us up to the world around us.

We open our hearts and begin to notice our fellow beings.

- Chokyi Nyima, “The Secret Strength of Sadness”

[winston]

Clear Away Obscurities

Simplifying mental activity is not about losing our ability to think things through.

Rather, it concerns clearing away the irrelevant mental activities that obscure clear discernment, flexibility and finding helpful solutions.

- Kim Allen, “The Value of Simplicity”

[winston]

Practice Is Love

The feeling of wanting to practice, is love.

Being with whatever is coming, being with your body is awareness.

- Yongey Mingyur

[winston]

Formlessness Is a Gift

The gift of embracing formlessness and impermanence, is a profound sense of freedom and the potential to meet each day afresh and roll with the changes.

- Gregory Clark

[winston]

Generating Awareness

In forgoing our most basic desires, we greatly heighten our ability to see them and by seeing them, to do the work of freeing ourselves from them.

This doesn’t mean eliminating them or never enjoying things.

It means giving ourselves the level of awareness that lets us choose.

- Shanti, “The Sign of the Renunciant”

[winston]

Complexity Is Essential

If we can’t tolerate complexity, we could find ourselves living in a black-and-white world, holding to black-and-white views and opinions.

That’s what gets us into trouble.

- Linda Modaro and Nelly Kaufer, “Reflective Meditation”