Basic mindfulness practice tends to focus on polarized moments. When the shit is hitting the fan, mindfulness – when applied – rises above the pit of worry and angst that would otherwise make things worse. It is what it is,…
Blog Archives
Fasting for 36 hours
This week I decided to extend my habit of not eating dinner on Tuesdays and Thursdays to skipping food altogether (water only) on Tuesdays. This results in what is called a 36 hour fast – I eat a normal dinner…
Gossip and Discursive Thought
This quote from Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism stuck with me throughout the day: Discursive thought might be compared to the blood circulation which constantly feeds the muscles of our system, the emotions. Thoughts link and sustain the emotions so that, as…
Renunciation as a practice
A few days ago I posted about renunciation and how it often seems minimized in Western practice. Any reader of the suttas knows what a central role renunciation plays in the teaching. The entire purpose of the monastic lifestyle is…
Tagged with: daily life, desire, generosity, mindfulness, renunciation, reprogramming
Posted in Mind & Body, Uncategorized
Posted in Mind & Body, Uncategorized
Spring
A happy Spring sun warms young grass and marinates last year’s crumpled leaves. It’s a beautiful early Spring-like day, and I’m looking forward to a nice long run in the woods. It’s so easy to let the seasons pass by…
My nature mantra
Sometimes my mental state calls for the repetition of a phrase. Not too often, but when a particularly disruptive mood strikes, nothing helps calms my mind like a mantra. My use of mantras is strictly secular – I see them…
Turning off automatic pilot
Here’s something I read about many years ago in a Thich Nhat Hanh book (I don’t remember which one) that has stayed with me ever since. It’s a remarkably powerful practice for integrating mindfulness into daily life, and can be…
Noting Identification and Latent Tendencies
identify - to make, represent to be, or regard or treat as the same or identical; to associate in name, feeling, interest, action, etc. (usually followed by with) / dictionary.com When you’re driving and another car swerves into your lane, you’re likely to experience an immediate and automatic reaction. There may be an initial adrenalin rush that allows you to react very quickly without…
Skipping Dinner
For the past few months I’ve been skipping dinner most Tuesdays and Thursdays. I was inspired to do this by the monastic practice of not eating after noon. Unlike the traditional monastic practice, I have two meals early in the…
