Zen for the Holidays - 10 Tips
“How often I found where I should be going only by setting out for somewhere else.” ~ R. Buckminster Fuller
Nothing ups the ante for family drama better than ‘going Home for the Holidays.’ (You really need to see the movie…)
Typically, past dramas are minimized as people play the ‘this year it will be different’ game. People expect Normal Rockwell gatherings, when “those gathered ’round” more closely resemble the Bunkers.
There are ways to change the game, but only if you decide to end the old game, AND replace it with something Zen.
A Life Appreciated: Taking Time to Reflect
The art of appreciation is seldom practiced. I suspect this is so because appreciation actually contradicts our belief about how much is ‘wrong’ with life. It is difficult to be appreciative when most people are caught in a loop—trying to make the world, and others, behave. And of course, this seldom if ever works.
Appreciation exists in the here and now. It is an approach to the ‘is-ness’ of life. It only happens when I suspend judgement so as to be present with what ‘is.’ In a sense, appreciation is a meditation and a reflection—a way of telling ones life-story with gratitude.
Live Fearlessly - 7 Tips
Many people wish to put their fears aside and to create and live a full and elegant life. In Zen, we say this is simple, as in “Simply Sit.” Or, “Pay attention!” Or, “Wake up!”
The point of these little aphorisms is to bring living into the present moment.
Fearful living disables our ability to act in the here and now. Of course, when you think about it, the fear is totally internal. I fear what I am imagining might happen, and therefore am standing still doing nothing, or doing what I always do.
Fearless living is not reckless. It is both present and prepared. It also recognizes this fundamental truth:
All you can control is the action, not the outcome.
Comments Off
The Bliss of an Empty Mind
If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
For those of you that have been reading Into the Centre and browsing the website, you’ll not be surprised to see a series of articles appearing over the next few weeks, concerning the ‘emptying’ of body, [...]
Three Powerful Words: ‘I Don’t Know’
that I would give it a try, and am still doing it, eleven years later.
So, what, exactly do I not know?
I do not know ‘why’ things happen. I do not know ‘why’ I react to some things and not others. I do not know anything about anyone other than me, and I only grasp the edges and corners of me.
I suppose you could say that ‘[tag]enlightenment[/tag]‘ has everything to do with exploring the inner workings of our mind, in a gentle and focused way. In other words, to look at our looking, to see our seeing, all without attaching meaning to it.
The Top 5 Ways to Get Your Act Together
It is possible to have a full, rich and meaning-filled life. It is just not easy. Here is a list of 5 ideas that just might get you further along the path to “Getting a Life.”
Zen Based, Present Living
