Philosophy 05 (Aug 25 - Dec 26)

[winston]

Detach from Thoughts

The thought is the thinker. There is no one behind it.

The thought is thinking itself. It comes uninvited.

You will see that when there is a strong detachment from the thought process, thoughts don’t last long.

- Joseph Goldstein, “These Are Not ‘Your’ Thoughts”

[winston]

Don’t Become Cynical

Letting go of expectations and recognizing the nature of cyclic existence, do not entail becoming cynical.

Derisively thinking “I can’t expect anything of anyone” is not a virtuous or realistic attitude, that helps us on the path to enlightenment!

- Thubten Chodron, “A Buddhist Antidote to Betrayal”

[winston]

We Are Not Separate

If each person is not fundamentally separate from other beings, it follows that the suffering of others is also one’s own suffering, that the violence of others is also one’s own violence.

- Kenneth Kraft, “Meditation in Action”

[winston]

Meditation Changes Us

Meditation is not merely a useful technique or mental gymnastic but part of a balanced system, designed to change the way we go about things, at the most fundamental level.

- Judy Lief, “Meditation Alone is Not Enough”

[winston]

The Value of Stillness

If your actions are going to be skillful, they have to come from a place where the mind can consider things carefully, clearly and quickly.

The more the mind is still, the more it’s able to do these things.

- Thānissaro Bhikkhu, “A Position of Strength”

[winston]

The Joy of the Present

All experience, all reality (as we keep having to learn) is in the present. That makes it the only place where we can enjoy things.

- Dean Sluyter, “Macbeth Flunks the Marshmallow Test”

[winston]

Time Moves Swiftly

To fully awaken to our lives, we humans, it seems, need to be respectfully reminded that time moves swiftly and that these lives of ours will not go on forever.

- Taylor Plimpton, “Lessons from a (Mostly) Good Dog: #9, Time Swiftly Passes By”

[winston]

A String of Moments

Memories say “You’re one thing,” but in reality, we are a bundle of many different things, all in flux, existing not in the past or the future but only in a string of moments.

- Dylan Tuccillo, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Phone”

[winston]

This World of Multiplicity

When it comes to this world of multiplicity, it is manifested over and over and over again, from moment to moment — there is nothing stingy there.

It is a gift, given to us constantly — alive, pulsating.

- Nancy Mujo Baker, “On Not Being Stingy”

[winston]

The Act of Mindful Breathing

The practice of mindful breathing is an act of self-love, a declaration of gratitude for this life and a political act of empowerment, in which we choose the present moment even when that moment is filled with mourning.

- Valerie Brown, “The Lightness of Breathing”