#729 Skillful Attitudes towards Meditation Practice

     “The right attitudes (towards Insight Meditation) practice are: 
• to be open, receptive, allowing, acknowledging; 
• being willing to fully experience the moment with patience, without expectations or demands; 
• being responsive, caring, interested. 

     These skillful attitudes towards practice are all the qualities of loving-kindness. Remind yourself to recognize the present moment with these attitudes of mind.”

       Steve Armstrong, Lesson 5 Practice, Introduction to the Manual of Insight - online course, Kamala Masters & Steve Armstrong, Sept 24 – Nov 12, 2016 http://learn.wisdompubs.org/academy/

#520 Imperfections - Others' & Ours

     It's so easy to see how others fall short of our standards of perfection. It's impossible for anyone, including for us, to live up to these standards. Our deluded judgments that arise from this cause a lot of problems - see: http://mindfulnessforeveryone.blogspot.ca/2014/04/517-first-self-acceptance-then-self.html
      An ancient wise advice is to not judge others for messing up, but to see how we can learn from their mistakes to help make our own behavior more skillful. This is infinitely wiser than labeling them as "bad guys", while fooling ourselves that we're "the good guys". We're all perfectly human, doing our imperfect best.

#474 What is Meaningful Work?

     Work that helps to reduce suffering and promote wisdom & joy can be considered meaningful. 
     Meaningful work can range from cleaning duties (at home, at work, or voluntary) to national politics.
     Clearly it's not precisely what one does, but the intention of mindfully, skillfully helping people, other living beings and the environment.
     This is not a "should" but an intelligent "we must", because the cosmos simply works like one complex organism. Each individual human either promotes harmony & optimal function OR creates chaos & pathology.
     If you live in a one bedroom apartment can a member of your family vandalize & steal from the family OR does each member have to work intelligently to support the family?
     As individuals we simply must understand - down in the marrow of our bones - the fact that we live in a closed system. Our every thought, word & action must be harmonious with our one collective life. Parker Palmer refers to this as "living an undivided life." To do so, we must be AWARE & KIND - MINDFUL moment-to-moment.

Apollo's Chariot by Odilon Redon

#435 Right Effort does not Take, but Generates Energy

     Intelligent effort in mindfulness practice is not at all like trying to lift a very heavy object. It is effortless & instant - as when we redirect attention from this to how my right foot feels right now. How much effort & time was involved?
     By gently, intelligently, persistently stabilizing our natural capacity to fill awareness with real-time sensory information, we practice displacing & hence progressively reduce the noise of self-talk and reduce the internal friction of clinging to ghosts of the past & future. This liberates a great deal of energy which becomes available to creatively embrace all that the present holds now.
     So 'right effort' does indeed instantly liberate energy, that is otherwise squandered on creating noise & friction = suffering. Paradoxically, we practice right effort by 1) repeatedly becoming aware of going off track into unskillful thoughts, words / speech / self-talk, & action - ie catching ourselves not being mindful, 2) accepting innumerable 'errors of judgment', and 3) gently, seamlessly, persistently coming back to embrace the present, we inevitably, unstoppably, progressively stabilize our natural inherent capacity to be mindful, with all it's benefits.

Luca C   www.dpreview.com