Thursday, November 14, 2024

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Action: Reflecting upon Mental Action

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RIGHT ACTION
Reflecting Upon Mental Action
However the seed is planted, in that way the fruit is gathered. Good things come from doing good deeds; bad things come from doing bad deeds. (SN 11.10) What is the purpose of a mirror? For the purpose of reflection. So too mental action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61)
Reflection
To be alive is to take action every moment. Even when we are not moving our bodies or speaking out loud, our minds are always doing something. (You may have noticed this in the meditation hall.) Moreover, what the mind does in one moment sets the stage for what it will do the next moment. This is why it is so important to be consciously aware of what is happening in your mind—that allows you to direct the process somewhat.
Daily Practice
Develop the habit of noticing what your mind is doing as it does it. And when appropriate, do not be shy about consciously directing what actions your mind undertakes. If you are in the grips of an unhealthy state, do what you can to abandon it. If a healthy mental or emotional state is arising, work on maintaining it. Plant your seeds carefully, and you will harvest healthy fruit. Good things come from right action.
Tomorrow: Abstaining from Misbehaving Among Sensual Pleasures
One week from today: Reflecting upon Social Action

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Via Daily Dharma: Sit with the Mess

 

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Sit with the Mess

We have to sit with our resistance to feeling whole, to feeling all those painful and messy parts of ourselves.

Barry Magid, “Five Practices to Change Your Mind”


CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

A Mind Like Space
By Bhikkhu Anālayo
A German-born Bhikkhu on using the notion of space as a powerful tool for actualizing the potential of emptiness.
Read more »

Via Three Teachings: Dealing with Despair

 

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November 14, 2024

Possibility Is Always There
 
When despair creeps up on us, or hits like a truck, it can feel overwhelming. That’s because despair means a lack of hope. Even in our darkest grief, if we can find hope, we can find comfort; without hope, breaking free and moving forward may feel impossible.

Attuning to the body and practicing mindfulness or another form of meditation can help stir hope we might not believe is there. So too can poetry, art, spending time with loved ones, or doing anything that creates space, shifts perspectives, and cultivates calm. Orientation is crucial, journalist and former Tricycle executive editor Emma Varvaloucas reminded us in a recent podcast episode. Possibility is always there—even in the midst of pain and confusion. We must remain open to all of it.

As poet Jane Hirshfield told Tricycle’s editor-in-chief James Shaheen in a podcast episode last year, paraphrasing a thousand-year-old poem in the collection The Ink Dark Moon, “If you live in a house which is impermeable to the cold winds and storms and difficulties of this world, you will also wall yourself off from the moonlight.”

This week’s Three Teachings features three podcast interviews on dealing with despair. 
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An Antidote to Despair With Emma Varvaloucas

Journalist Emma Varvaloucas discusses how we can break out of cycles of pessimism and despair by paying attention to what’s going right.
Listen now »
From Despair to Possibility With Rebecca Solnit 

Writer and activist Rebecca Solnit discusses the power of hope in times of catastrophe, the dangers of hyperindividualism, and why she believes beauty is an essential piece of activist work.
Listen now »
“Don’t Despair This Falling World” With Jane Hirshfield 

Poet Jane Hirshfield discusses how poetry can communicate deep truths we might have trouble understanding in a more conventional presentation. She also discusses the balance of abiding in uncertainty and trust, and how to sit with uncomfortable emotions and truths.
Listen now »

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