Dear Friends, There’s a poem by Jack Gilbert called “A Brief for the Defense” that has this reflection: We must risk delight. … We must havethe stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthlessfurnace of this world. To make injustice the onlymeasure of our attention is to praise the Devil. Jack Gilbert, “A Brief For The Defense”https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-brief-for-the-defense/ The… Read More »
Dear Friends, Thich Nhat Hanh taught: Chew your food, not your worries Sometimes we eat, but we aren’t thinking of our food. We’re thinking of the past or the future or mulling over some worry or anxiety again and again. So stop thinking about your business, about the office, or about anything that isn’t happening right now. Don’t… Read More »
Dear Friends, In times when I find my mind is agitated – from world events or inner turmoil – I find it useful to give myself more room and a more physical way for the agitation to move through the body. Then I may be able to settle into a sitting meditation. Talk about Walking Where am I… Read More »
Dear Friends, Diana Winston wrote: Your body is the doorway to mindfulness. As you may have noticed by now, your mind can be anywhere at any time…. Your body, by contrast, is always in the present moment, so brining attention to it brings you automatically into the present. The task is to turn your attention to this reality,… Read More »
Dear Friends, In a short story called “A Painful Case,” James Joyce wrote that the main character, Mr. Duffy, “lived at a little distance from his body.” As we sit with our devices at hand, reading these words, perhaps some may notice that we too live at a little distance from our bodies. I have certainly noticed that… Read More »
Dear Friends, This poem brings me a smile: One Attempt at Efficiency after an idea planted by Gabrielle Louise it never worksthis trying to exhale and inhaleat the same time ~ Rosemerry Wahtola Trommerhttps://ahundredfallingveils.com/2016/02/06/one-attempt-at-efficiency/ One of the most common ways to cultivate mindfulness is by turning attention towards the breath. This is something we can do any time,… Read More »
Dear Friends, The Chair A funny thing about a Chair:You hardly ever think it’s there.To know a Chair is really it,You sometimes have to go and sit. “The Chair” by Theodore Roethke, from The Collected Poems of Theodore RoethkeAs shared here: http://www.ayearofbeinghere.com/2013/06/theodore-roethke-chair.html Most meditation instruction starts with mindfulness of the body. In formal meditation, posture is one way… Read More »
Dear Friends, There’s a beautiful poem attributed to Hafiz: It Felt Love HowDid the roseEver open its heart And give to this worldAll itsBeauty? It felt the encouragement of lightAgainst itsBeing. Otherwise,We all remain Too Frightened. Hafiz and Daniel Ladinsky. The Gift. New York, Penguin / Arkana, 1999. (You can hear Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer sing a beautiful rendition… Read More »
Dear Friends, You may have seen this meme before: a stick person is walking with a dog (or sometimes a child or other person). There is a thought-bubble from each. The person’s bubble is full of people, cars, music, food, clothes, mail, gadgets, etc. The dog’s thought bubble reflects just the scene ahead – trees, sun, earth. The… Read More »
Dear Friends, A new year tradition for many people is to set some resolutions… lose weight, meditate every day, run a marathon! And before the month is through, many people will have given up on keeping those resolutions. In previous years, I have written about the usefulness of setting an intention – for the year, month, day, or the… Read More »
Dear Friends, The practices of mindfulness and meditation have been such incredible supports for me in the challenges of life, including 2020! That is what has motivated me to study and practice and share with others. This is the sixth year I have offered this daily email in January, and I’m honoured that you have chosen to join… Read More »
Once again, I will be offering daily meditation emails in January 2021. Are you interested in participating? This year, I’ll explore the theme of Starting 2021 with Mindfulness and Kindness. I’m currently in a Mindfulness Teacher Training Program with Mark Coleman and Martin Aylward, so my plan is to use January to build up a collection of resources… Read More »
Dear Friends, One last message for this series of emails, to express my deep appreciation and gratitude for being part of this month with me. As the Buddha said to Ananda, “Good friends, companions, and associates are the whole of the spiritual life. ” (SN 45.2) It is inspiring for me to know that there were people from… Read More »
Dear Friends, Closing off this month by finishing up the talk by Kamala Masters titled “The Power of Patience.” I like the way Kamala shows a link between equanimity and patience in this talk. Kamala says that in India, she has heard a colloquial translation of equanimity as “seeing with patience.” I like that description. Patience – to… Read More »
Dear Friends, Continuing with the talk by Kamala Masters titled, “The Power of Patience.” Kamala talked about a period of time she practiced as a nun because she wanted to live a simple life for a while. She describes her experience: “I just did the practice in a simple way. When something arose, just being able to see… Read More »
