All you have to do is…
“Mindfulness destroys habitual tendencies.”
-Tsoknyi Rinpoche
We don’t question the mind’s antics.
A few of its pranks…
At the pole position is comparison, which is the breeding ground of:
Desire. In the sense of wanting to change what is unchangeable. When you don’t want anything to be different, you are naturally happy.
Regret. Can you do anything about what has already happened?
Worry. Has worrying ever been helpful, or changed the outcome of an anticipated event?
Not knowing that you are thinking is the birthplace of all mental problems.
Seldom are we aware of the continuous stream of dialogue running in the background. We don’t question that; we think it is okay, or even normal.
Unconsciously, we conclude that the mind is like a container that resides somewhere. And in it are all our thoughts, feelings, and memories.
But what if all that was wrong?
Tsoknyi Rinpoche
Remember when you suddenly noticed you had been thinking about the same thing, over and over, throughout the day. The next time you catch that, rather than allowing that topic to continue, shift attention to remain as the silent witness of thought. It’s the art of witnessing that you want to become adept at.
Thinking ruins experience. Until you think, each movement, every perception, is a miracle.
By thinking and caring about everything, we stop enjoying life, and become frustrated and miserable.
Habit is the enemy of peace.
Thinking about what isn’t happening is just a bad habit. Undo the habit by watching, by listening. Be alive to what thoughts are creating, the good and the bad, and board the troublemakers on a one-way train to central Ohio. (The area I fled in 1978.)
The more you notice, rather than participate with thoughts, you will realize a peculiar but liberating fact. Every thought, the instant it is noticed—vanishes. And you are free. All you have to do is listen.
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A new topic will arrive each Friday, in one of two categories. One will be on shooting, and the other will be on living, or: “how I learned to live from what I learned by competing.”
Thanks for coming in.