Via Daily Dharma: Connecting with Awareness

As meditative awareness deepens, we may begin to experience what we call pure awareness. This isn’t some extraordinary state of consciousness. . . . It’s completely ordinary. It’s simply the natural extension of the first glimpse of awareness that comes when we start to meditate.

—Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, “The Good Shepherd”

Via Daily Dharma: Activists with Heart

With our practice, we can turn our gaze and our heart toward the very dilemmas of our time and enter as activists who cool and soothe the situation.

—Jack Kornfield, “A Change of Heart”

No More War!

Via His Holiness the Dalai Lama

I believe that to meet the challenges of our times, human beings will have to develop a greater sense of universal responsibility. Each of us must learn to work not just for oneself, one's own family or nation, but for the benefit of all humankind. Universal responsibility is the key to human survival. It is the best foundation for world peace.

- His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Via Daily Dharma: How to Experience the Freshness of Life

Watching impartially opens the mind to realize that there is no way that we can stop this flux even for a fraction of a second. We experience the freshness of life. Every moment is a new moment. Every breath is a fresh breath.

—Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, “Five Practices to Change Your Mind”

Via Seniors for a Democratic Society / FB

Via Ram Dass / Words of Wisdom - August 9, 2017

Suffering is a lesson the Soul needs in order to get to its Beloved. Joy is too. 

- Ram Dass -

Via Daily Dharma: There's No Race to Enlightenment

We breathe in and out, and we just watch that. Nothing else. It doesn’t matter if we get enlightenment or not. It doesn’t matter if our friends get enlightened faster. Who cares? We are just breathing.

—Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, “Do Nothing”

Via Daily Dharma: One-breath Meditation

In this world of onrushing events the act of meditation—even just a “one-breath” meditation—straightening the back, clearing the mind for a moment—is a refreshing island in the stream.

—Gary Snyder, “Just One Breath”

Via Daily Dharma: Connecting with Our Best Selves

Appreciative joy is a natural expression of our best humanity.

—Judith Simmer-Brown, “Transforming the Green-Ey'd Monster”

Via Ram Dass: Words of Wisdom - August 6, 2017

If you keep examining your mind, you'll come to see that thoughts of who you are and how it all is are creating the reality you're experiencing. 

- Ram Dass -

Via Daily Dharma: Transform Yourself

Meditation aims not so much to solve a person’s particular problems as to solve the person altogether.

—David Rome, “Focusing”

Via Daily Dharma: Why We Shouldn't Be Afraid of Suffering

Handling our suffering is an art. If we know how to suffer, we suffer much less, and we’re no longer afraid of being overwhelmed by the suffering inside.

—Thich Nhat Hanh, “Why We Shouldn't Be Afraid of Suffering”

Via Daily Dharma: Working with Difficult Feelings

A feeling-tone is a feeling-tone, and that’s all. Just like anything else, the invitation is to be with it, not to listen to it, not to ignore it, not to push it away, not to repress it, not to act on it.

—Dr. Jay Michaelson, “Working Through the Strong Emotions of Sexual Identity”

Via Daily Dharma: Respect Is All We Need

Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are: ultimately these are all we need.

—Dalai Lama, “Consider Yourself a Tourist”

Via Daily Dharma: Changing Your Approach to Life

In Buddhism, the point is not simply to be accomplished meditators but to change our whole approach to life.

—Judy Lief, “Meditation Alone is Not Enough”

Via Daily Dharma: Find Freedom in Stillness

Stillness in the midst of motion and commotion is free of will, direction, and time. It is a complete letting be of what is from moment to moment.

—Toni Packer, “Unmasking the Self”

Via Daily Dharma: Your Whole Life Is Here and Now

To practice the way of Buddha means to completely live out this present moment—which is our whole life—here and now.

—Kodo Sawaki Roshi, “To You”

Via Ram Dass: Words of Wisdom - July 30, 2017

Bearing the unbearable is the deepest root of compassion in the world. When you bear what you think you cannot bear, who you think you are dies. You become compassion. You don't have compassion - you are compassion. True compassion goes beyond empathy to being with the experience of another. You become an instrument of compassion. 

- Ram Dass -