Tag: thought
Steady the Mind
Who is your enemy? Mind is your enemy. No one can harm you more than a mind untrained. Who is your friend? Mind is…
Your Mind: Friend or Foe?
Who is your enemy? Mind is your enemy. No one can harm you more than your own mind untamed. And who is your friend? Mind…
Optimal Mental Health
“With wisdom let your mind full of love pervade one quarter of the world, and so to the second, third and fourth quarter. Fill the…
Awakening to Pure Consciousness
Let us consider the unbounded sky or mirror-like nature of consciousness. We need to be practical. Our first task is to learn to distinguish the…
The Two Dimensions of Consciousness
But this mirror is only one aspect of consciousness. Consciousness, like light, has two dimensions. Just as light can be described as both a wave…
The Storytelling Mind (Part Two)
(Read Part One of The Storytelling Mind) When we look at the constant and repetitive process of our own thinking, we see how habitually it…
The Storytelling Mind
When I first took robes and entered the monastic community of Ajahn Chah, I had already been practicing meditation for two years. Now, sitting…
How to Begin Naming
Begin by sitting comfortably, focusing awareness on your breathing. As you feel each breath, carefully acknowledge it with a simple name: “in-breath, out-breath,” saying the…
Developing a Healing Attention
Sit comfortably and quietly. Let your body rest easily. Breathe gently. Let go of your thoughts, past and future, memories and plans. Just be present.…
Freeing Ourselves
Unhealthy thoughts can chain us to the past. They arise as vipaka, the result of past karma that we cannot change. We can, however, change…
The Mind and the Heart
The “Jewel in the Lotus” is the translation of the universal compassion mantra “Om Mani Padme Hum.” While it has many meanings, one explanation of…