By slowing down, choosing to rest back into the uncertainty rather than fighting it, I was able to touch into a sense of space, precisely in moments when it felt like there was no way to keep going and I would be totally overwhelmed.

If we can breathe in and out, putting our mind completely on our breathing, or feel our bodies and put all of our attention on the sensations in the body, we can create that space. We slow things down and let our nervous system recalibrate and center.

The external situation may not change, but we’ve changed in relation to our external situation.

If we can stop, we have the chance to touch into something deeper than overwhelm. This practice of pausing, or stopping, helps the seed of our question to mature and ripen into the guidance and direction we need.

Kaira Jewel Lingo, We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons for Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption

#Dharma #Buddhism #Mindfulness #meditation

We must remove the landmines in our hearts which prevent us from making peace. The landmines in the heart are greed, hatred and delusion. We can overcome greed with the weapon of generosity; we can overcome hatred with the weapon of loving kindness; we can overcome delusion with the weapon of wisdom. Peace-making starts with us.

—Maha Ghosananda, also known as "The Buddha of the Battlefields"

#Buddhism #Mindfulness #Peace #Cambodia

“A world without empathy is a world that is dead to others—and if we are dead to others, we are dead to ourselves. The sharing of another’s pain can take us past the narrow canyon of selfish disregard, and even cruelty, and into the larger, more expansive landscape of wisdom and compassion.”

― Joan Halifax, Standing at the Edge: Finding Freedom Where Fear and Courage Meet

#Buddhism #Zen #Meditation #Dharma

It is especially tempting in times of transition and challenge to abandon our homes, to leave our territory, in search of answers, perhaps by worrying about what will happen in the future.

This is precisely the moment when we need to return to the present moment, feel our bodies, and take good care of ourselves now.

Because the future is made of this moment.

If we take good care of this moment, even if it is very difficult, we are taking good care of the future.

Kaira Jewel Lingo We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons for Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption

#Buddhism #Mindfulness #Meditation #Dharma

“If you meditate in perfect peace and then flash someone an irritable look because they make noise or their child cries, you are entirely missing the point.”

― Khandro Rinpoche

#Buddhism #Dharma #Mindfulness #Meditation

“The fact that nothing is certain, and we therefore can’t hold on to anything, can evoke fear and depression in the mind. But it can also evoke a sense of wonder, curiosity, and freedom.”

― Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel, The Power of an Open Question: A Buddhist Approach to Abiding in Uncertainty

#Buddhism #Dharma #TibetanBuddhism

“Experiencing peace need not be an arduous journey of endless work but rather a moment-by-moment effort of resting in order to engage in loving intimacy with others. In this way, a deeply nourished life can take the direction of liberation by which production (labor) is not the measure of our worth.

A vow to rest is a vow for peace.”

― Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, The Deepest Peace: Contemplations from a Season of Stillness

#Buddhism #Dharma #liberation #Mindfulness

We are each living in our own soap opera. We do not see things as they really are. We see only our interpretations. This is because our minds are always so busy...But when the mind calms down, it becomes clear. This mental clarity enables us to see things as they really are, instead of projecting our commentary on everything.

Tenzin Palmo, Reflections on a Mountain Lake: Teachings on Practical Buddhism

#Buddhism #TibetanBuddhism #Dharma #Mindfulness

“The unique beauty and kindness of the Buddha’s approach is that it never suggests we need to experience anything other than what we experience. The Buddha never said that some thoughts are bad or wrong and we should reject them. Thoughts and emotions—all manner of occurrences—arise in our lives, and we can’t control them.”

Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel:The Power of an Open Question

#Buddhism #Dharma #Mindfulness #Meditation