This week, instead of multiple quotes, we want to focus on a short excerpt from the book How Can I Help? It's an excellent summation of our relationship to thoughts:
>>> "Our thoughts are always happening. Much like leaves floating down a stream or clouds crossing the sky, they just keep coming... And they are constantly calling for attention: 'Think of me.' 'Notice me.' 'Attend to me.'... While we can't stop the thoughts themselves, we can stop our awareness from being snared by each one. If you are standing by a river and a leaf floats by, you have your choice of following the leaf with your eye or keeping your attention fixed in front of you. The leaf floats out of your line of vision. Another leaf enters…and floats by. But as we stand on the bank of the river and the leaves float by, there is no confusion as to whether or not we are the leaves. Similarly, it turns out that there is a place in our minds from which we can watch our own mental images go by. We aren’t our thoughts any more than we are the leaves." <<< We published a new article on Medium earlier this week that ties to the excerpt above. It's a short read, and dispels a common misconception: Meditation isn't about suppressing your thoughts and emotions. What are you trying to "cope" with?
Coping doesn't work - addressing the root cause does. We'll show you how. note: our free guide to mindfulness and meditation really is free - no email or registration required. The link is at the bottom of the page. Once a week we highlight quotes that will (hopefully) resonate with you. We may or may not add our own commentary. Most likely, we will.
This week, we start with Alan Watts: "If you make where you are going more important than where you are, there may be no point in going." This touches on our post from yesterday. In short, there is no salvation in the future - if you think there is, you will never be happy right here and now because you will always be looking to tomorrow for "more" and "better." Next, from us (meditationSHIFT): "Staying present means you don't let your mind project you into the future to experience stress and anxiety about everything that might happen. Take comfort in realizing you do not have to fight battles that aren't actually happening. And, stop fighting them." Rather than offer commentary on our own quote, we will quote Mark Twain to drive this point home: "I've lived through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened." This quote, of course, carries the implication that most of it didn't ever happen - it was just mental ruminations. Next, from author Henry David Thoreau: "You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this." Thoreau's quote is a testimonial to living in the present moment. And last, from the famous Psychologist Abraham Maslow: "The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness." What are you trying to "cope" with?
Coping doesn't work - addressing the root cause does. We'll show you how. Once a week we highlight quotes that will (hopefully) resonate with you. We may or may not add our own commentary. Most likely, we will. This week, we start with Tolle: "Can you look without the voice in your head commenting, drawing conclusions, comparing, or trying to figure something out?" This is the essence of mindfulness and meditation: distancing yourself from that voice, so you are no longer swept away by its incessant nature. Next, Pema Chödrön: "The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves." There is the situation, and there are our thoughts, emotions, and reactions to the situation. The latter causes us to suffer far more than the former. And, the great author of Western novels, Louis L'Amour: "Few of us ever live in the present. We are forever anticipating what is to come or remembering what has gone." The present moment is the only moment in which we can live. Our mind constantly tries to keep us out of it, though. Bonus! Former Vice President of the United States Dan Quayle, demonstrating a lack of understanding when it comes to mindfulness and the present moment: "The future will be better tomorrow." What are you trying to "cope" with?
Coping doesn't work - addressing the root cause does. We'll show you how. |