Most of us have spent our lives caught up in plans, expectations, ambitions for the future; in regrets, guilt or shame about the past. To come into the present is to stop the war.
Jack KornfieldRead
Within each of us there is a silence as vast as the universe. We long for it. We can return to it.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the profound inner peace that exists within individuals, akin to the vastness of the universe.
Jack Kornfield's quote speaks to the deep sense of stillness and tranquility that resides within every person. It suggests that amidst the chaos and noise of life, there is a silent space within us that is expansive and fulfilling, where we can find solace and a sense of connection to something greater. By recognizing and returning to this inner silence, we can nurture our well-being and sense of purpose.
In practice
During a mindfulness retreat where participants seek to connect with their inner selves.
Most of us have spent our lives caught up in plans, expectations, ambitions for the future; in regrets, guilt or shame about the past. To come into the present is to stop the war.
We need courage and strength, a kind of warrior spirit. But the place for this warrior strength is in the heart. We need energy, commitment, and courage not to run from our life nor to cover it over with any philosophy-mate rial or spiritual. We need a warriorβs heart that lets us face our lives directly, our pains and limitations, our joys and possibilities.
The questions asked at the end of lie are very simple ones: Did I love well? Did I love the people around me, my community, the earth, in a deep way? And perhaps, Did I live fully? Did I offer myself to life?
We can bring our spiritual practice into the streets, into our communities, when we see each realm as a temple, as a place to discover that which is sacred.
According to Buddhist scriptures, compassion is the "quivering of the pure heart" when we have allowed ourselves to be touched by the pain of life.
Much of spiritual life is self-acceptance, maybe all of it.
Meditation practice is like piano scales, basketball drills, ballroom dance class. Practice requires discipline; it can be tedious; it is necessary. After you have practiced enough, you become more skilled at the art form itself. You do not practice to become a great scale player or drill champion. You practice to become a musician or athlete. Likewise, one does not practice meditation to become a great meditator. We meditate to wake up and live, to become skilled at the art of living.
It is an unscrupulous intellect that does not pay to antiquity its due reverence.
Do not follow vain desires; for verily he who prospers is preserved from lust, greed and anger.
A speculator is a man who observes the future, and acts before it occurs.
What you focus on expands, and when you focus on the goodness in your life, you create more of it. Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter what happened in my life.
You have to learn and develop from every experience you see on the field. I might see an unscouted blitz. I might see different coverages than I'm expecting. So I need to process and make those adjustments as I go.
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