Quotes on Mindfulness

[Daniel E.]

“Words are like nets -- we hope they'll cover what we mean, but we know they can't possibly hold that much joy, or grief, or wonder.”

― Jodi Picoult, Change of Heart

 

[Daniel E.]

Accepting death doesn't mean you won't be devastated when someone you love dies. It means you will be able to focus on your grief, unburdened by bigger existential questions like, "Why do people die?" and "Why is this happening to me?" Death isn't happening to you. Death is happening to us all.

― Caitlin Doughty, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

 

[Daniel E.]

“Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts.”

– Janice Maeditere

 

[Daniel E.]

“Do not take anything for granted—not one smile or one person or one rainbow or one breath, or one night in your cozy bed.”

~ Terri Guillemets

 

[Daniel E.]

"We should not give up on our worthwhile goals. Their achievement matters. But we should meditate, too, on the value of the process. It is no accident that the young and the old are generally more satisfied with life than those in middle age. Young adults have not embarked on life-defining projects; the aged have such accomplishments behind them. That makes it more natural for them to live in the present."

~ Kieran Setiya, How Schopenhauer's thought can illuminate a midlife crisis

 

[Daniel E.]

"I come to my solitary woodland walk as the homesick go home… It is as if I always met in those places some grand, serene, immortal, infinitely encouraging, though invisible, companion, and walked with him."

~ Thoreau, diary entry in January 1857

 

[Daniel E.]

“Those who ask of the purpose of life
have not discovered an outer meaning
for inner designs”



― Levi Johnson, Alter Ego: Poetry for the Hidden Self

 

[Daniel E.]

"The great art of life is sensation, to feel that we exist, even in pain."

~ Lord Byron

 

[Daniel E.]

"The time has come to go beyond time."

~ Alan Cohen

 

[Daniel E.]

"We come from the earth, we return to the earth, and in between we garden."

~ unknown

 

[Daniel E.]

 

[Daniel E.]

"Life nowhere appears so brave, so bright, so full of oracle and miracle as in the desert."

~ Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness - Amazon.com

 

[Daniel E.]

"Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven't time, and to see takes time -- like to have a friend takes time."

~ Georgia O'Keeffe

 

[Daniel E.]

A belligerent samurai, an old Japanese tale goes, once challenged a Zen master to explain the concept of heaven and hell. The monk replied with scorn, "You're nothing but a lout -- I can't waste my time with the likes of you!"

His very honor attacked, the samurai flew into a rage and, pulling his sword from its scabbard, yelled "I could kill you for your impertinence."

"That," the monk calmly replied, "is hell."

Startled at seeing the truth in what the master pointed out about the fury that had him in its grip, the samurai calmed down, sheathed his sword, and bowed, thanking the monk for the insight.

"And that,"said the monk "is heaven."

The sudden awakening of the samurai to his own agitated state illustrates the crucial difference between being caught up in a feeling and becoming aware that you are being swept away by it. Socrates's injunction "Know thyself" speaks to the keystone of emotional intelligence: awareness of one's own feelings as they occur."

― Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ

 

[Daniel E.]

"Feeling good about what we do for a living depends more on our moment-to-moment experiences than it does on prestige, status, or pay. Being present is its own reward and offers benefits of both empowerment and integration."

~ Sharon Salzberg's Real Happiness at Work

 

[Daniel E.]

“We chase extraordinary moments instead of being grateful for ordinary moments until hard **** happens. And then in the face of really hard stuff — illness, death, loss — the only thing we’re begging for is a normal moment.”

—Brené Brown

 

[Daniel E.]

~ Robert Rosenbaum, Zen and the Heart of Psychotherapy

 

[Daniel E.]

"All of practice, whether in therapy or in Zen practice, can be said to come down to these two basic insights: (1) There's nothing to escape, and (2) there's nothing to gain."

~ Barry Magid, Ending the Pursuit of Happiness: A Zen Guide

 

[Daniel E.]

How To Actually Concentrate

"There’s a saying in mindfulness, name it to tame it. If you can name a difficult experience, your brain can begin to regulate that feeling in your body."

 

[Daniel E.]

"Sometimes, feelings of sadness and grief, once the distortions have been eliminated, are are the experiences that can wake us up, and provide the profound sense of meaning we are craving in our lives. The highest human experience, perhaps, is the compassion we sometimes feel for ourselves and others who are suffering. In fact, this may be the true meaning of spirituality."

~ David Burns