We are all in the same boat
Bodhicitta is particularly available to us when we feel good heart; when we feel gratitude, appreciation or love in any form whatsoever. In any moment of tenderness or happiness, bodhicitta is always here. If we begin to acknowledge these moments and cherish them, if we begin to realize how precious they are, then no matter... Continue Reading →
Just how things are
“There is no one thing that can make us happy. When we expect stability from the world of things we make ourselves vulnerable to disappointment. When things change, a they inevitably do, we think the phenomenal world has turned on us, our bodies disappoint us , the pleasant feeling we got from our meditation session... Continue Reading →
Self – Reflection
Self-reflection is not an end in itself. Rather, it is the key that opens the door to your innermost qualities, to buddha nature. It shows you the strength and confidence you already possess as a result of those innate qualities. This strength and confidence allows you to carry on with a sense of richness, of... Continue Reading →
Is it true?
Much of our mental suffering comes from how tightly we hold our beliefs. In the monastery my teacher Ajahn Chah used to smile and ask, "Is it true?" He wanted us to learn to hold our thoughts lightly.Within the stillness of meditation we learn to observe how words and images arise and then vanish. When... Continue Reading →
Sacred pause
Because experience happens so quickly, habitual responses can come out of our mouth before we know it. It helps to train ourselves to pause before our response. This is called the sacred pause. Before we speak, we can examine our motivation. Is our motivation one of compassion and concern for everyone? Or do we want... Continue Reading →
Disown your thoughts
In the practice of meditation, the way to be daring, the way to leap, is to disown your thoughts, to step beyond your hope and fear, the ups and downs of your thinking process. You can just be, just let yourself be, without holding on to the constant reference points that the mind manufactures. Chogyam... Continue Reading →
Allow things to be how they are
“The Dharma is very practical, but it’s not just a matter of sitting in meditation. It’s a matter of bringing that attitude into our daily life, into everyone we meet and every task we undertake in an open, relaxed, spacious mind, which allows things to happen as they happen, without being so grasping, that we... Continue Reading →
Our daily life is our practice
“So keep it short. And keep your aspiration—that our whole day will be our dharma practice, that it’s not just sitting on your cushion. Your cushion, yes, is to get your mind settled, get the awareness clear, set up good motivation, but then we have to use our daily life, everyone we encounter, everything we... Continue Reading →
Feeling Stuck? read this
One of my fav quotes The word "Empty" in Buddhism does not mean 'empty' 'nothing' or 'void' it rather refers to the nature of how every thing is interdependant and has no independent origin. Read more about it here
Learning to appreciate
You can develop appreciation everyday, little bit, little bit. So, maybe, you can appreciate that you being alive. Appreciate about your breath, "Wonderful I have breath! How nice!" Or when you see something, appreciate that you are able to see. You have nice wonderful eyes which you can see the trees, mountains, houses, people.Appreciate that... Continue Reading →
Gaps in our struggle
Insights come only when there are gaps in our struggle, only when we stop trying to rid ourselves of thought, when we cease siding with pious, good thoughts against bad, impure thoughts, only when we allow ourselves simply to see the nature of thought. Chögyam Trungpa
Stop just for a little bit
Being mindful does not mean that we just sit for hours on our meditation cushion in a retreat or monastery. There are many ways to practice mindfulness that can be fully integrated into our daily living. Besides conscious breathing, we can do walking meditation, sitting meditation, smiling, mindful listening, mindful speaking, and mindful working. We... Continue Reading →
Being at war with ourselves
“The Buddha said there are two kinds of suffering. One is physical suffering, one is mental suffering. Physical suffering is inevitable because we have a body. But mental suffering is optional. We don’t need to suffer these emotional storms and torture ourselves with all these feelings of guilt and shame and all these things. We... Continue Reading →
Can animals get ‘enlightened’?
Even in this world, and even now, there are said to be many hidden yogis or discreet yogis, called Bepay Naljor in Tibetan. It means those realized ones who are not generally recognized as great spiritual sages or saints, but have deeply tasted the fruit of enlightenment, and are living it. Perhaps they are anonymously... Continue Reading →
Stepping out of thought process
Meditation practice is a simple way of stepping out of the neurotic and chaotic aspects of the thought process. We can simplify everyday life, as well as bring simplicity to the sitting practice of meditation. Relating to both practice and daily life as fully as possible, being right on the dot in terms of technique,... Continue Reading →
