The journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step

Hope

Sunday gems

“Hope and fear are both phantoms that arise from thinking of the self. When we don’t see the self as self, what do we have to fear?” Lao-Tzu
“It is easy to see the fault of others, hard to see one’s own.” Buddha
“When our mind is calm, it reflects reality accurately, without distortion. Breathing, sitting, and walking with mindfulness calms disturbing mental formations such as anger, fear, and despair, allowing us to see reality more clearly.” Thich Nhat Hanh
“Blaming is a way to protect our hearts, to try to protect what is soft and open and tender in ourselves.” Pema Chödrön
“To be aware of a single shortcoming within oneself is more useful than to be aware of a thousand in somebody else. Rather than speaking badly about people in ways that will produce friction and unrest in their lives, we should practice a purer perception of them, and when we speak of others, speak of their good qualities.” Dalai Lama
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December 18, 2022 | Categories: Blame, Breathing, Fear, Hope, Zen | Leave a comment

Abandoning hope

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Hope and fear is a feeling with two sides. As long as there’s one, there’s always the other. This is the root of our pain. In the world of hope and fear, we always have to change the channel, change the temperature, change the music, because something is getting uneasy, something is getting restless, something is beginning to hurt, and we keep looking for alternatives.

In a nontheistic state of mind, abandoning hope is an affirmation, the beginning of the beginning. You could even put “Abandon hope” on your refrigerator door instead of more conventional aspirations like “Every day in every way I’m getting better and better.

– Pema Chödron

from the book “When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times”

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July 11, 2019 | Categories: Fear, Hope, Zen | Leave a comment

Each human being is a multiplicity of miracles

“Around us, life bursts forth with miracles—a glass of water, a ray of sunshine, a leaf, a caterpillar, a flower, laughter, raindrops. If you live in awareness, it is easy to see miracles everywhere.

Each human being is a multiplicity of miracles. Eyes that see thousands of colors, shapes, and forms; ears that hear a bee flying or a thunderclap; a brain that ponders a speck of dust as easily as the entire cosmos; a heart that beats in rhythm with the heartbeat of all beings.

When we are tired and feel discouraged by life’s daily struggles, we may not notice these miracles, but they are always there.”

~Thich Nhat Hanh

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July 25, 2017 | Categories: Hope, Zen | 4 Comments