Insights for March 2016
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Awakening:
“When it is time to put the various spiritual teachings aside, you will know it. Quite suddenly what once inspired you will repel you and you will be drawn more and more into silence. When this time comes you may be confused and wonder what happened to your enthusiasm, but rest assured that nothing has gone wrong, it is simply time to give your attention to silence. You may in fact go back and forth several times between being immersed in a teaching and then drawn to silence. Each phase has its own value and time. I would suggest to always have some time being spent in silence as part of your spiritual life. Otherwise you may start to use spiritual teaching to avoid silence. But for now follow your inspiration and attend to the inner stillness as well.” ~ Adyashanti, Experiencing No-Self Study Course ~ 2013
"We try to do everything, but then we’re not really focusing on anything. We’re not going to make any of our little fantasies come true if we pursue all of them at the same time. Decide: What is the one thing you want to pursue right now? Can you focus on that for at least a month? If not, maybe it’s not that important to you." —Leo Babauta in Tricycle's new meditation e-book
"If you are stuck, maybe you need a teacher. If you need a teacher, ask for a teacher, and be aware of a new teacher as he or she shows up. Maybe you need a new book. If you need a new book, as for a new book, and be aware of the new book as it shows up. Maybe you need a spiritual comrade. If you need a spiritual comrade, ask for a spiritual comrade, and be aware of the new comrade when they show up. Know. Ask. Receive." Margaret Gervais 2.9.16 PDX
“To change our world, the collective fear of humanity must decrease and our love must increase. To do this we must each have the courage to journey inward, and release the tension and pain in our mind that fuels our delusions and harm causing emotions.” Yung Pueblo, 21st century
“If you go out in the woods and look at trees, some trees are gnarled and some are straight. Some are flowering and some are barren, you just look with appreciation at the differences. You neither judge nor react. You don’t necessarily hate that tree and love that tree. But the minute you get around people, it’s all different. So I would suggest you treat people like trees.” Ram Dass“You are not broken, you are breaking through.” Alex Myles
Meditation:
The “it is what it is” meditation: "Sometimes it will be really hard to meditate because you will be dealing with a really hard emotion or situation in your life. These are some of the best times to meditate because a meditation session during a difficult time builds stronger “meditation muscles”. In meditating through a challenging time, it’s harder to sit, and harder to be in practice, but if you stick with it for your session, day after day, you will build more meditation muscles (mindfulness), clear and process what is challenging and with insight receive messages on your next steps to transformation.At these challenging times I practice “it is what it is meditation.” As the emotion or mental chatter about the situation shows up, I allow it to rise and I greet it with “it is what it is”. Normally I don’t advocate for mental responses, just breath. But when it’s really challenging it’s harder to accept, see and let go of what arises. Fear and anxiety are good examples. When fear or anxiety arises, our instinct is to push it back and not want it to arise. So if fear or anxiety arise and we greet it with, “it is what it is,” “it is what it is,” “it is what it is,” it helps us to allow it to arise, not push it down or label it as “bad”, process it, let it go, and allow insights to arise, all helping us transform.After all, everything arises for a reason. Our job as a meditator, is to allow it to arise, look at it, see if, don’t label is as good or bad, to let it go, sit in mindfulness and see what other insights arise." Margaret Gervais, 2.4.16, pdx
"Grief:More really great insights from Jack Kornfield: https://www.jackkornfield.com/healing-heart/