
Everyday Zen: Love and Work (Plus)

WHAT KEEPS US unhappy and stuck in a limited view of reality is our tendency to seek pleasure and avoid pain, to seek security and avoid groundlessness, to seek comfort and avoid discomfort. This is how we keep ourselves enclosed in a cocoon. Out there are all the planets and all the galaxies and vast space, but we’re stuck here in this cocoon. Mom
... See morePema Chodron • Comfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion
The key—the how of Buddhist practice—lies in learning to simply rest in a bare awareness of thoughts, feelings, and perceptions as they occur. In the Buddhist tradition, this gentle awareness is known as mindfulness, which, in turn, is simply resting in the mind’s natural clarity. Just as in the example of the dog, if I were to become aware of my h
... See moreYongey Mingyur Rinpoche • The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness
Whatever we have to do or take or suffer can thus be turned to our immediate advantage: it provides just the right opportunity to notice Who is involved. (To be precise, absolutely involved yet absolutely uninvolved.) In short, of all forms of meditation this is among the least contrived and obtrusive, and (given time to mature) the most natural an
... See moreDouglas Harding • On Having No Head
WE PRACTICE FULL awareness in order to realize liberation, peace, and joy in our everyday lives. Liberation and happiness are linked to each other: if there is liberation, there is happiness, and greater liberation brings greater happiness. We know that if there is liberation, peace and joy exist in the present moment. We do not need to wait ten or
... See more