Category: Quotes

Desire is ubiquitous in human life. Living without wants, wishes, motivations, and aspirations is inconceivable. Some desires are quite healthy, useful, and appropriate; some are not. One function of mindfulness practice is to help us distinguish between these. Sensual Desire as a Hindrance ~ Gil Fronsdal

Anyone who practices mindfulness knows that there are forces in the mind that can make it difficult to be mindful. Rather than reacting to these difficulties as somehow being “bad” or as “distractions,” it is important to investigate them. It is easier to find freedom from something when we know it thoroughly. Hindrances to Clear… Continue reading

One of the elegant aspects of the list of the five spiritual faculties is its internal symmetry. With mindfulness as a fulcrum in the center, the rest of the set can be seen as two pairs: faith balancing wisdom, and energy balancing concentration. In this way the whole list becomes an expression of the middle… Continue reading

A mind that’s confident, engaged, mindful, and focused can develop discernment [wisdom], the fifth faculty. Discernment helps us determine which movements of the mind and heart, which thoughts and feelings, are useful. What can we let go of? What should we develop further? The Five Faculties ~ Gil Fronsdal

Concentration is a central feature of a contemplative life, cultivated through formal meditation practice and also through many daily activities such as drawing, kayaking, skiing, music, cooking and research. Learning or observing anything — whether a technical repair of a computer, a creative pursuit in art, a masterful move in dance, or simply quieting the mind… Continue reading

Mindfulness relies on an important characteristic of awareness: awareness by itself does not judge, resist, or cling to anything. By focusing on simply being aware, we learn to disentangle ourselves from our habitual reactions and begin to have a friendlier and more compassionate relationship with our experience, with ourselves and with others. Introduction to Mindfulness… Continue reading

Right effort is not striving. Striving leads to clinging. It reinforces the sense of self, and can be very painful. Right effort isn’t trying to get anything, for there’s nothing to get. It’s not trying to penetrate something and go deeper and deeper. Rather, it’s the effort to listen with greater sensitivity. It’s a soft… Continue reading

With confidence, we apply ourselves and experience the results. The more confidence we have, the more fully we engage in the process of meditation. When we begin spiritual practice, our confidence may be inspired by someone we’ve met or something we’ve read. In time, we learn from our own experience that the practice is helpful:… Continue reading

The only thing lost when we understand that nothing can be held onto is the suffering we experience by grasping. Joy and appreciation of beauty can even increase when anxiety around loss diminishes. Seeing impermanence and understanding that suffering is simply the “rope burn” that comes when we cling to that which is inevitably slipping… Continue reading

I repeat to myself over and over again—and to whoever is willing to listen—old stories of who I am, who I was, and who I am becoming (as well as who you are and why you’re that way). We leave the spacious, open humility of not-knowing far behind and take shelter in a thicket of… Continue reading