Tag: Wisdom

Father’s Day Tribute: Ever Wondered Why?

Ever wondered why your dad drove an old car (which you were incredibly embarrassed of) throughout your entire childhood, while you went to a good school?

Or why the monsters from under your bed never came out as long as he was there?

Or as an adult, why he still tries to protect you just as he did as a child?

In honor of Father’s Day, we wanted to share this touching 2-minute video as it reminded us of all the small things dads do to show their love and support, which often as children, we never noticed.

via Father’s Day Tribute: Ever Wondered Why?.

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Essence of Mindful Prayer

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Tara Brach writes;

When we are suffering and turn to prayer, no matter what the apparent reasons for our pain, the basic cause is always the same: we feel separate and alone.  Our reaching out is a way of relieving ourselves of this pain of isolation.  Yet the bodhisattva’s aspiration radically deepens the meaning of prayer by guiding us to also turn inward.  We discover the full purity and power of prayer by listening deeply to the suffering that gives rise to it. Like a great tree, such prayer sinks its roots into the dark depths in order to reach up fully to the light. This is what I call mindful prayer—opening wakefully to our suffering and allowing ourselves to reach out in our longing for connection.  Irish poet and priest John O’Donohue writes: “Prayer is the voice of longing; it reaches outwards and inwards to unearth our ancient belonging.” The more fully we touch our pain and longing, the more fully we are released into boundless, compassionate presence.

via Tara Brach – Essence of Mindful Prayer.

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The Benefit of Building Sand Castles

“We are like children building a sand castle. We embellish it with beautiful shells, bits of driftwood, and pieces of colored glass. The castle is ours, off limits to others. We’re willing to attack if others threaten to hurt it. Yet despite all our attachment, we know that the tide will inevitably come in and sweep the sand castle away. The trick is to enjoy it fully but without clinging, and when the time comes, let it dissolve back into the sea.” ― Pema Chödrön 

via Mindful Musings: The Benefit of Building Sand Castles. (Quote of the Day).

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What do sad people have in common?

What

Do sad people have in

Common?

It seems

They have all built a shrine

To the past

And often go there

And do a strange wail and

Worship.

What is the beginning of

Happiness?

It is to stop being

So religious

Like That.

~ Hafiz

via What do sad people have in common? by Hafiz | Electronic Poets.

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Living Whole-Heartedly

Tara Brach writes:

The happiest people I know have something in common: they are whole-hearted in how they engage in their lives…whole-hearted in relating with others, in work, in meditation, and in play. They have a capacity to give themselves thoroughly to the present moment.

Yet for many, it’s challenging to engage with this quality of presence. Take this personal ad  for example. It says:

Free to a good home, beautiful 6-month old male kitten, orange and caramel tabby, playful, friendly, very affectionate, ideal for family with kids.  OR handsome 32-year old husband, personable, funny, good job, but doesn’t like cats.  He or the cat goes.  Call Jennifer and decide which one you’d like.

How often do we find that in our relationships, rather than loving presence, we have an agenda for someone to change, to be different? How often do we find that our insecurities prevent us from being spontaneous, or whole-heartedly engaged with friends? You might think of one important relationship and ask yourself: “What is between me and feeling fully present when I’m with this person?” Notice the fears creeping in about falling short, the urge to get your needs met, the sense of “not enough time,” the wanting for your experience together to unfold a certain way!

This same conditioning plays out in all aspects of living, and it is well grounded in our evolutionary wiring. We need to manage things, to feel in control. We try to avoid disappointments, to prevent things from going wrong. 

via Tara Brach: Living Whole-Heartedly.

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The Buddha and The Terrorist

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Tara Brach quoted this in a meditation I was listening to today:

It is often said, accurately, that violence begets violence. There is a virus buried deep in all violence that is contagious, that inspires an equally brutal and mindless response. A terrorist blows up a bus, and an army comes out to settle the score. This exchange of violence and this contagion of terror have been handed down for eons from family to family and from nation to nation. It is a chain of terror made up of people gone amok with anger and those just as disturbed with their feelings of virture and righteous vengeance.

But there is good news. The Gospel of Jesus, the Dharma of Buddha, the Tao of Lao Tzu, and the tariqa, or way of love, in Sufism all teach that you can let go of your grip on this chain. You can be free of it. When obscene violence interrupts your life, you don’t have to respond with virtuous, justified, and reasonable force. You can choose not to be part of the destructive cycle, and that choice not to participate is a first step toward peace.

But to step outside the circle of terror you have to do something quite unreasonable. You have to forfeit vengeance and abandon all reasonable expectations that the majority of your community, friends, and family may take for granted. You will probably have to go it alone and trust your spiritual instincts. You may appear passive and weak. Only you know the inner courage needed to overcome habits of vengeance and punishment that are assumed to be right and virtuous.

via The Buddha and Madison | New Wood.

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Do Not Be Ashamed

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Tara Brach shared this poem with me:

You will be walking some night

in the comfortable dark of your yard

and suddenly a great light will shine

round about you, and behind you

will be a wall you never saw before.

It will be clear to you suddenly

that you were about to escape,

and that you are guilty: you misread

the complex instructions, you are not

a member, you lost your card

or never had one. And you will know

that they have been there all along,

their eyes on your letters and books,

their hands in your pockets,

their ears wired to your bed.

Though you have done nothing shameful,

they will want you to be ashamed.

They will want you to kneel and weep

and say you should have been like them.

And once you say you are ashamed,

reading the page they hold out to you,

then such light as you have made

in your history will leave you.

They will no longer need to pursue you.

You will pursue them, begging forgiveness.

They will not forgive you.

There is no power against them.

It is only candor that is aloof from them,

only an inward clarity, unashamed,

that they cannot reach. Be ready.

When their light has picked you out

and their questions are asked, say to them:

“I am not ashamed.” A sure horizon

will come around you. The heron will begin

his evening flight from the hilltop.

via “Do Not Be Ashamed” by Wendell Berry.

She did not share it with me directly, but rather through her series of meditation podcasts. This poem was wrapped in a meditation called Be All That You Are. You can listen to it here…

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Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: The Philosophers Notes Challenge – Day 4

A few words from Brian on the book…

“How’s your financial blueprint? Don’t worry, I didn’t have mine either until I read T. Harv Eker’s great (and surprisingly funny!) book. If you’re committed to creating financial freedom (who isn’t?) then my strong recommendation is that you add this to your must-read list.”

In today’s challenge, we’ll take a quick look at some of Brian’s favorite big ideas (this book is so full of them he had to stop himself at 21!) – everything from defining financial freedom, learning to play to win, and seeing how the size of your character determines your response to various sized problems.

What you’ll see is that T. Harv believes strongly in the fact that: “Your inner world reflects your outer world,” and dedicates a great deal of the book to teaching us how to change our thinking – to reprogram ourselves to think and act like rich people do.

So… let’s get to work on that financial blueprint, shall we?

To take part in today’s challenge, simply watch Brian’s video above and share your responses to it below (and to get a copy of the book, just click here).

via Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: The Philosophers Notes Challenge – Day 4.

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Canadian Police Officer Discusses Freedom, Yoga & the Bhagavad Gita…

See on Scoop.it – Living Business

Officer Brigitte Brousseau is a certified yoga teacher. In this 1 minute video, she discusses how she has become clear with the responsibility and power to take away another’s freedom.

See on www.elephantjournal.com

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How to Exude One of Life’s Most Important Skills (By the Bucket-Load!)

Self-confidence.

Don’t you just wish that you could hit a magic button and it would come to your rescue when you need it the most – or for some of us, each and every day?

In this empowering 13-minute TED Talk, athletic director and head coach of the Varsity Soccer team at Ryerson University, Dr. Joseph, explains why he believes self-confidence is the most important skill in both athletics, and in life.

We really enjoyed this motivating talk as it reminded us that even if we’re not blessed with a natural healthy glow of self-confidence – it’s a skill that can be mastered, no matter how lacking in it we may be.

via How to Exude One of Life’s Most Important Skills (By the Bucket-Load!).

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Spiritual Liberation: The Philosophers Notes Challenge – Day 3

Welcome to day 3 of the challenge!

Today’s challenge is on Spiritual Liberation by Michael Bernard Beckwith.

For those not familiar with Michael, he is the founder of the Agape Spiritual Center, where his talks have been described as “electrifying,” and he also was one of the featured teachers in The Secret.

“My central message is not about religiosity or churchianity. It is about aspiring toward spiritual liberation, which I define as becoming free from the narrow confines of fear, doubt, worry, and lack, and living instead from a conscious awareness of one’s Authentic Self, one’s true nature of wholeness.

Spiritual liberation results from discovering and expressing the intrinsic qualities of enlightened consciousness that have been ours since the moment we came into existence. Simply put, all that is required to live up to our highest potential is already inside us awaiting our conscious activation. Living up to our potential is about becoming more ourselves, more of who and what we are as awakened beings, a central theme you will encounter throughout this book.” – Michael Bernard Beckwith from Spiritual Liberation.

via Spiritual Liberation: The Philosophers Notes Challenge – Day 3.

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