Master the Environment
“If you are a person who honestly wants to learn the Way, don’t go looking for the world’s mistakes, but set about as fast as you can looking for a true and proper understanding.” -Lin-chi Lin-chi explains a proper understanding… “You insist on mistaking idle names for reality. THIS IS A GREAT ERROR. Even if […]
Nothing is as it Seems
“Nothing is as it seems. The common view is that There is a subjective observer Observing an objective world; The former separate from The latter. Nothing is as it seems.” -Wu Hsin We think problems into existence. Very little, however, if anything, is how you think it is. Thinking becomes a problem when we add […]
The Lunatic
I’m on the road this week… So here’s a great story… Once, in August 1950, when Shri Atmananda stayed in Bombay for a couple of days on his way back from Europe, he gave audience to a good number of spiritual enthusiasts who flocked for short interviews with him. Among them was an educated young […]
Gain Stability
“When I walk out into the world, I take no thoughts with me. That’s not easy, but you can learn to do it. An empty mind is hungry, so you can look at everything longer, and closer. … When you listen with empty ears, you hear more.” -Mary Oliver Mary and her pal. Appropriate responses […]
The Goal
“The essence of the great Way is to act purposefully without striving.”-T’ai i chin hua tsung chih BE, or more accurately, Leopard Man, in rare moment of repose at church camp. Continuous awareness produces error-free action. If peak performance is the goal, be aware of what you are doing. Know, intimately,what is happening. As you […]
Presence
“The feeling that any task is a nuisance will soon disappear if it is done in mindfulness.” -Thich Nhat Hahn The awareness of presence is peaceful. When you suddenly become aware of a beautiful sunset, you merge with the present moment, which is always accompanied by a feeling of relief, a brief moment of peace. […]
Do Not Be Attached
“The root of suffering is attachment.” -The Buddha Do not be attached to thoughts. Since you learned to think, thoughts cannot be “yours.” Take fewer ideas seriously. As you do that, an interesting thing happens: many things that used to bother you no longer do. When you stop wanting what cannot be changed to be […]
Bud Enos – A Tribute
“If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right—the first time.”-Bud Enos I learned how to live from my dad. At some point I overheard him say, “All I want to do is raise our family (four sons and one daughter) in this house, and then die in this house.” Which is what he did. This […]
Eliminate The Unnecessary
“Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the even nobler art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.”-Lin Yutang Most thoughts are unnecessary. Awareness effortlessly eliminates the non-essential. The mind’s grasping and clinging tendencies are absent in silent awareness. When aware, each moment will relay […]
Care Less Part 2
“It’s in the silence that your problems dissolve. Try it. It really works.” -Robert Adams Care is a motivator—it stimulates the desire to improve. Then, eliminate caring by being fully attentive, and the doing takes care of itself. Become interested in the operation of your own mind; become aware of more thoughts. Each time you become […]