Via Daily Dharma: Identify the Distracted Mind

Developing the skill to recognize that we are distracted and to return the mind to awareness of the present moment enables us to appreciate our self in all activities.

—Les Kaye, “The Time is Now”

Via Daily Dharma: Find Relief through Honesty

By ignoring, rationalizing, denying, and justifying our nasty motivations and unkind behavior we feel worse in the long run, not better. A tremendous sense of relief comes when we can be honest about what we’re thinking, feeling, saying, and doing.

—Thubten Chodron, “The Truth About Gossip”

Via Ram Dass / Words of Wisdom - June 10, 2018

 

The first being one must have compassion for is oneself. You can't be a witness to your thoughts with a chip on your shoulder or an axe to grind.

Ramani Maharshi said, "If people would stop wailing alas I am a sinner and use all that energy to get on with it they would all be enlightened."

He also said, "When you're cleaning up the outer temple before going to the inner temple, don't stop to read everything you're going to throw away..."

- Ram Dass -

Via Daily Dharma: Unexpected Teachers

When things come up that we don’t like, we try to remember that these thoughts and feelings are our teacher—we can learn from them.

—Ezra Bayda, “Reflect, Without Thinking”

Via Daily Dharma: Transform Anger into Wisdom

We must become intimate with anger to clear the way to our connectiveness, to our vulnerability and an aliveness to everything. In the end, our anger is transmuted to wisdom, which in turn gives rise to compassion.

—Jules Shuzen Harris, “Holding Anger”

Via Daily Dharma: Awaken in Every Moment

Discovering the sacred within all moments is the hallmark of awakening.

—Rodney Smith, “Undivided Mind”

Via Ram Dass / Words of Wisdom - June 6, 2018

Faith is in the soul. Belief is thought. Faith is so rich. Faith gives me my spiritual self... 

- Ram Dass -

Via Daily Dharma: One Step at a Time

With dedication, we can slowly build healthy mental tendencies, for awareness and wisdom, for kindness and compassion. That’s why we practice.

—Wendy Hasenkamp, “Brain Karma”

Via Daily Dharma: There’s Always Room for More

Because mind is infinite, it can embrace the universe and still have room left over.

—Daehaeng Kun Sunim, “Thinking Big”

Via Daily Dharma: Retrain the Way You Desire

People aren’t simply passive recipients of their experience. Starting from their desires, they play an active role in shaping it. The strategy implied by the four noble truths is that desire should be retrained so that, instead of causing suffering, it helps act toward suffering’s end.

—Thanissaro Bhikkhu, “The Far Shore”

Via Ram Dass / Words of Wisdom - June 3, 2018

A lot of people look back with horror on all their past experiences and say, “Well, finally it’s getting good.” That’s because they haven’t yet stood back far enough to see how exquisitely it all unfolds, how every confusing backtracking doubt, fear, horrible experience, unfortunate event, pitiful circumstance, seemingly frivolous act, sinful breakdown of discipline; all of it were just steps along the path.

But in order to see the path you have to be very quiet and stop thinking, because every time you think about how the path is, you just created something according to that thought. Even the concept of the path. You’re at the moment now, you’re on a path. You’re not there, you’re not there; you’re on the path.

- Ram Dass -

Via Daily Dharma: Practice Is in Every Moment

The Buddha taught us to bring patience, generosity, and kindness into everything that we do. Observing such virtues during your work period will strengthen good habits and character, whether you are on or off the cushion, in or out of retreat.

—Glenna Olmsted, “Your Life Is Your Practice”

Via Daily Dharma: Gratitude for Our Enemies

If we can transform an enemy into someone toward whom we feel respect and gratitude, then our practice will naturally progress, like water following a downhill course.

—H.H. the Dalai Lama, “Enduring the Fires”

Via Daily Dharma: Intention Shapes the Future

From a practice perspective, there is great power in intention and how it can shape the present moment and even the future—because if you approach this present moment with wisdom, kindness, and a sense of responsibility, you won’t have to worry about the future. It will take care of itself.

—Dawa Tarchin Phillips, “What to Do When You Don’t Know What’s Next”

Via Daily Dharma: Navigating Your Thoughts

We have to be careful not to think that meditation is about getting rid of thoughts. On the contrary, I would say that meditation helps us to creatively engage with our thoughts and not fixate on them.

—Martine Batchelor, “Meditation, Mental Habits, and Creative Imagination”

Via Daily Dharma: Buddha Meets Buddha

If on our journey we do not value one face over another—white or black or brown, wrinkled or smooth—we may come in time to see that the face of the whole world is our own face.

—Lin Jensen, “Meeting Heartmind”

Via Ram Dass / Words of Wisdom - May 30, 2018

The most important aspect of love is not in giving or the receiving; it's in the being. When I need love from others, or need to give love to others, I'm caught in an unstable situation. Being in love, rather than giving or taking love, is the only thing that provides stability. Being in love means seeing the Beloved all around me. 

- Ram Dass -

Via Daily Dharma: Kindness Is Common Sense

Through kindness, through affection, through honesty, through truth and justice toward all others we ensure our own benefit. This is not a matter for complicated theorizing. It is a matter of common sense.

—The Dalai Lama, “Consider Yourself a Tourist”

One thing I miss

One thing I miss here in Brasil, besides a big organized LGBTq community, is the uncles we had in Sacramento, who guided us, helped us out - babysat Spencer, sometimes showed me how to fix a sink, or cook a roast.... family