Category: Quotes

“What some meditative traditions call “natural awareness” is a state of being where our focus is on awareness itself rather than on the things we are aware of. It’s “awareness of awareness.” It is generally relaxed, effortless, and spacious.” ~ Diana Winston What is Natural Awareness?

“We all have so much doing in our lives. We rarely have the time and space to simply be. Open awareness gives us that space. It helps us shift from ‘doing’ to ‘being.’ ” ~ Cortland Dahl

“As human beings we are subject to continual changes in life. The Taoists spoke about the ten thousand sorrows and the ten thousand joys. Joy turns to sorrow. Sorrow turns to joy. No one is exempt. Equanimity is the liberating quality that allows us to keep our hearts open and balanced, quiet and steady, in… Continue reading Quote for the Week

“I think of ‘enjoyment’ as ‘receiving joy’; and samādhi as the art of refined enjoyment. It is the careful collecting of oneself to the joy of the present moment. Joyfulness means there’s no fear, no tension, no ought to. There isn’t anything we have to do about it. So there is stillness. It’s just this.” Ajahn Sucitto,… Continue reading Quote for the Week

“In our busy world, we tend to overlook the capacity we have to allow the mind to settle down and rest, to become deeply silent and peaceful. This stillness is a great power in meditation, and through it we can learn to listen more fully to the world around us and to the wisdom of… Continue reading Quote for the Week

“Joy creates a spaciousness in the mind that allows us to hold the suffering we experience inside us and around us without becoming overwhelmed, without collapsing into helplessness or despair. It brings inspiration and vitality and allows us to respond wisely to suffering with more wisdom and compassion. Profound understanding of suffering does not preclude… Continue reading Quote for the Week

Think about the things that help you maintain your practice. Ask yourself, how do you remember to practice when you forget? How do you keep yourself inspired, enthusiastic, engaged—especially if you’ve been practicing for a while?  ~ Vanessa Zuisei Goddard

“Imagine building a structure of any kind; add a little here, a little there, pay particular attention to shoring up the weight bearing wall. We are continuously shoring up our practice and our daily lives, and it requires energy, courage, persistence and effort to do so.”  ~Heidi Bourne, 

“Bringing interest and investigation to an experience can change our relationship to the experience because it changes the ecology of the mind, so to speak. Investigation brings a wholesome quality to the mind, which can initiate a significant shift in the mind…”  Gil Fronsdal

“Buddhist practice develops ordinary capacities so that they can serve on the path of awakening. Rather than cultivating new abilities, with this practice we learn to identify, appreciate, and strengthen ones we already have. Doing so we discover that these capacities are treasures within.”  ~ Gil Fronsdal