c2p-cmd/Good-Quotes-Authors huggingface dataset:
The disciplines of physical exercise, meditation and study aren't terribly esoteric. The means to attain a capability far beyond that of the so-called ordinary person are within the reach of everyone, if their desire and their will are strong enough. I have studied science, art, religion and a hundred different philosophies. Anyone could do as much. By applying what you learn and ordering your thoughts in an intelligent manner it is possible to accomplish almost anything. Possible for an 'ordinary person.' There's a notion I'd like to see buried: the ordinary person. Ridiculous. There is no ordinary person.
— Alan Moore, Watchmen
* Recognize that God is with you.* Acknowledge God knows what He's doing.* Search for God's will: the path He desires you to take in life.* Consider what God did for you when He sent Jesus to die on the cross (forgiveness and righteousness)
— Brennan Manning, The Furious Longing of God
For all of us, love can be the natural state of our own being; naturally at peace, naturally connected, because this becomes the reflection of who we simply are.
— Sharon Salzberg, Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
Let the breath lead the way.
— Sharon Salzberg, Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation
Meditation is a microcosm, a model, a mirror. The skills we practice when we sit are transferable to the rest of our lives.
— Sharon Salzberg, Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation
Of our thinking it is but the upper surface that we shape into articulate thought
—  underneath the region of argument and conscious discourse lies the region of meditation.
That narrow stretch of sand knows nothing in the world better than it does the white waves that whip it , caress it , collapse on to it . The white foam knows nothing better than those sands which wait for it , rise to it and suck it in .but what do the waves know of the massed, hot, still sands of the desert just twenty , no , ten feet beyond the scalloped edge ? And what does the beach knows of depths, the cold, the currents just there, where-do you see it? - Where the water turns a deeper blue.
— Ahdaf Soueif, I Think of You: Stories
Meditation is silence, energising and fulfilling. Silent is the eloquent expression of the inexpressible.
— Sri Chinmoy, The Silent Teacher: A Beginner's Guide to Meditation
You cannot control the results, only your actions.
— Allan Lokos, Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living
You get peace of mind not by thinking about it or imagining it, but by quietening and relaxing the restless mind.
— Remez Sasson
This withdrawal from the day's turmoil into creative silence is not a luxury, a fad, or a futility. It is a necessity, because it tries to provide the conditions wherein we are able to yield ourselves to intuitive leadings, promptings, warnings, teachings, and counsels and also to the inspiring peace of the soul. It dissolves mental tensions and heals negative emotions.
— Paul Brunton, The Notebooks of Paul Brunton
An interval of meditation, serious and grateful, was the best corrective of everything dangerous.
— Jane Austen, Persuasion
We use mindfulness to observe the way we cling to pleasant experiences & push away unpleasant ones.
— Sharon Salzberg, Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation
Providence knows best.
— Michael Beloved
When you enter a place of stillness, you awaken the divinity within you.
— Peggy Sealfon, Escape from Anxiety: Supercharge Your Life with Powerful Strategies from A to Z
In effect, you're saying that if you knew how you oughtt to live, then the flaw is man could be controlled. If you knew how you ought to live, you wouldn't be forever screwing up the world. perhaps in fact the two things are actually one thing. Perhaps the flaw in man is exactly this: that he doesn't know how he ought to live.
— Daniel Quinn
Yes,I'm afraid you're right. Trial and error isn't a bad way to learn how to build an aircraft,but it can be a disastrous way to learn how to build a civilization.
— Daniel Quinn
He sat thus, lost in meditation, thinking Om, his soul as the arrow directed at Brahman.
— Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha
You`re only as weak as you let yourself become, and you`re only as strong as you allow yourself to be.
— Daniel Hansen
The mysterious manner in which this growing sense of unity commingles with a sense of utter goodness is worth noting. It arises by no effort of mine; rather does it come to me out of I know not where. Harmony appears gradually and flows through my whole being like music. An infinite tenderness takes possession of me, smoothing away the harsh cynicism which a reiterated experience of human ingratitude and human treachery has driven deeply into my temperament. I feel the fundamental benignity of Nature despite the apparent manifestation of ferocity. Like the sounds of every instrument in an orchestra that is in tune, all things and all people seem to drop into the sweet relationship that subsists within the Great Mother's own heart.
— Paul Brunton, A Hermit in the Himalayas: The Journal of a Lonely Exile
Ree-" Grey barked into the icy silence. "Lax!"The word spat so unexpectedly into her ear had precisely the effect Grey must have intended. It shocked Nan for a split second into a state of not-thinking, just being-Suddenly, all in an instant she and Neville were one.
— Mercedes Lackey, The Wizard of London
One evening Milarepa returned to his cave after gathering firewood, only to find it filled with demons. They were cooking his food, reading his books, sleeping in his bed. They had taken over the joint. He knew about nonduality of self and other, but he still didn’t quite know how to get these guys out of his cave. Even though he had the sense that they were just a projection of his own mind—all the unwanted parts of himself—he didn’t know how to get rid of them. So first he taught them the dharma. He sat on this seat that was higher than they were and said things to them about how we are all one. He talked about compassion and shunyata and how poison is medicine. Nothing happened. The demons were still there. Then he lost his patience and got angry and ran at them. They just laughed at him. Finally, he gave up and just sat down on the floor, saying, “I’m not going away and it looks like you’re not either, so let’s just live here together.” At that point, all of them left except one. Milarepa said, “Oh, this one is particularly vicious.” (We all know that one. Sometimes we have lots of them like that. Sometimes we feel that’s all we’ve got.) He didn’t know what to do, so he surrendered himself even further. He walked over and put himself right into the mouth of the demon and said, “Just eat me up if you want to.” Then that demon left too.
— Pema Chödrön, Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living
When you reach a calm and quiet meditative state, that is when you can hear the sound of silence.
— Stephen Richards, The Ultimate Cosmic Ordering Meditation
Meditation practice is not about later, when you get it all together and you’re this person you really respect.
— Pema Chödrön, The Pocket Pema Chodron
Rome is not outside me, but inside me.. Her feverish sweetness, her tragic countryside, her own beauty and harmony, all these are mine, for my thought and my work.
— Amedeo Modigliani
Once you stop being locked into viewing reality from just one perspective, you will start to be free from habitual reactivity.
— Stephen Richards, The Ultimate Cosmic Ordering Meditation
Every single iceberg filled me with feelings of sadness and wonder. Not thoughts of sadness and wonder, mind you, because thoughts require a thinker, and my head was a balloon, incapable of thoughts. I didn't think about Dad, I didn't think about you, and, the big one, I didn't think about myself. The effect was like heroin (I think), and I wanted to stretch it out as long as possible.Even the simplest human interaction would send me crashing back to earthly thoughts. So I was the first one out in the morning, and the last one back. I only went kayaking, never stepped foot on the White Continent proper. I kept my head down, stayed in my room, and slept, but, mainly, I was. No racing heart, no flying thoughts.
— Maria Semple, Where'd You Go, Bernadette
Awareness is not the same as thought. It lies beyond thinking, although it makes use of thinking, honoring its value and its power. Awareness is more like a vessel which can hold and contain our thinking, helping us to see and know our thoughts as thoughts rather than getting caught up in them in reality.
— Jon Kabat-Zinn, Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life
Meditation is a way of being, not a technique. Meditation is not about trying to get anywhere else. It is about allowing yourself to be exactly where you are and as you are, and the world to be exactly as it is in this moment, as well.
— Jon Kabat-Zinn, Arriving at Your Own Door: 108 Lessons in Mindfulness
By means of personal experimentation and observation, we can discover certain simple and universal truths. The mind moves the body, and the body follows the mind. Logically then, negative thought patterns harm not only the mind but also the body. What we actually do builds up to affect the subconscious mind and in turn affects the conscious mind and all reactions.
— H.E. Davey, Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation
The difference between magic and meditation methods is the difference between drugs and diet—medicines will do swiftly what diet can only effect slowly, and in critical cases there is no time to wait for the slow processes of dietetics, so it must be either medicines or nothing. Nevertheless, drugs are no substitute for right diet and wholesome regime, and although magic enables a speedy and potent result to be attained, is is only by means of right understanding and right ethics that the position which has been won can be held.
— Dion Fortune, Esoteric Orders and Their Work and The Training and Work of the Initiate
You are the Golden Witnessing Screen. Meditation is the effortless effort to keep that screen clean, clear and perfect. - Sri Amit Ray
— Amit Ray
We need never be bound by the limitations of our previous or current thinking, nor are we ever locked into being the person we used to be, or think we are.
— Allan Lokos, Pocket Peace: Effective Practices for Enlightened Living
Effort is the unconstrained willingness to persevere through difficulty.
— Sharon Salzberg, A Heart as Wide as the World: Stories on the Path of Lovingkindness
Depending on their psychic make up, for some people, closing the eyes or being quiet produces anxiety and increases mental agitation. In such situations it is better to undertake the practice of yoga–whether physical yoga or meditation–with other people with whom one is comfortable and at ease. Gradually, as we see more and more clearly their roots, the fears and the imaginings will diminish. Mental distractions are harder to overcome when practicing alone. (109)
— Ravi Ravindra, The Wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Guide by Ravi Ravindra
Metta sees truly that our integrity is inviolate, no matter what our life situation may be. We do not need to fear anything. We are whole: our deepest happiness is intrinsic to the nature of our minds, and it is not damaged through uncertainty and change.
— Sharon Salzberg, Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
Learn to enjoy the way as much as you would enjoy when you reach the destination.
— Sakshi Chetana, Laughing Buddha:The Alchemy of Euphoric Living
During the time of stress, the “fight-or-flight” response is on and the self-repair mechanism is disabled. It is then when we say that the immunity of the body goes down and the body is exposed to the risk for disease. Meditation activates relaxation, when the sympathetic nervous system is turned off and the parasympathetic nervous system is turned on, and natural healing starts.
— Annie Wilson, Effect of Meditation on Cardiovascular Health, Immunity & Brain Fitness
Among the values of meditation is that it carries consciousness down to a deeper level, thus letting man live from his centre, not his surface alone. The result is that the physical sense-reactions do not dominate his outlook wholly, as they do an animal's. Mind begins to rule them. This leads more and more to self-control, self-knowledge, and self-pacification.
— Paul Brunton, The Notebooks of Paul Brunton
Meditation may be done in silence & stillness, by using voice & sound, or by engaging the body in movement. All forms emphasize the training of attention.
— Sharon Salzberg, The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Programme for Real Happiness
Meditation is a powerful and full study as can effectually taste and employ themselves.
— Michel de Montaigne, The Complete Essays
With the practice of meditation we can develop this ability to more fully love ourselves and to more consistently love others.
— Sharon Salzberg, A Heart as Wide as the World: Stories on the Path of Lovingkindness
With meditation I found a ledge above the waterfall of my thoughts.
— Mary Pipher, Seeking Peace: Chronicles of the Worst Buddhist in the World
Meditation is a totally nonviolent, nonaggressive occupation.
— Pema Chödrön, The Pocket Pema Chodron
IN practicing meditation, we’re not trying to live up to some kind of ideal—quite the opposite.
— Pema Chödrön, The Pocket Pema Chodron
The seeker after stillness should be told that the stillness is always there. Indeed it is in every man. But he has to learn, first, to let it in and, second, how to do so. The first beginning of this is to remember. The second is to recognize the inward pull. For the rest, the stillness itself will guide and lead him to itself.
— Paul Brunton, The Notebooks of Paul Brunton
Meditation is not hard to understand. Anyone who knows how to worry knows how to meditate. Worriers are skilled in the meditation process but are meditating on the wrong kind of thoughts.
— Jim Berg, Changed Into His Image
The succession of thoughts appears in time, but the gap between two of them is outside time. The gap itself is normally unobserved. The chance of enlightenment is missed.
— Paul Brunton, The Notebooks of Paul Brunton
Relaxing the shoulders is vital for relaxation in general. However, owing to the effects of gravity, relaxation is problematic unless we let the shoulders remain in their natural place. Let the shoulders drop, or settle in harmony with gravity, into their most comfortable position. It isn’t too difficult to do this for a moment, but to sustain this condition unconsciously in our lives is another matter. We raise our shoulders unnaturally when we lean on a desk or hold the telephone between our shoulders and ears, when we are shocked by a loud noise, and who knows how many other times throughout the day. And the unsettling of the shoulders doesn’t have to be large to produce anxiety, stiff necks, and headaches. Just slightly raising them will create tension, and this tension throws the nervous system out of balance.When do we raise the shoulders in daily life? What are we feeling at that moment and leading up to that moment? Remembering that the body reflects the mind, and that the raising of the shoulders not only creates tension but also is a physical manifestation of psychological tension itself, what are the roots of this tension? Bringing the mind into the moment, let’s observe ourselves in a state free of preconceived ideas or beliefs. Don’t guess at these questions. Observe yourself in relationship to others and the universe
— H.E. Davey, Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation
As I explore the wilderness of my own body, I see that I am made of blood and bones, sunlight and water, pesticide residues and redwood humus, the fears and dreams of generations of ancestors, particles of exploded stars.
— Anne Cushman
Basically, if the mind stays in the present, it’s impossible to worry. Upon careful consideration, it becomes clear that human beings are capable of worrying only about an event that has already transpired or one that may take place in the future (although the occurrence might have just happened or may be about to happen in the next instant). The present moment contains no time or space for worry.
— H.E. Davey, Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation
No one looks or feels attractive when angry.
— Allan Lokos, Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living
All creations are one with the universe. Look at the world around you. Can you effectively separate yourself from everything else? After seriously pondering this, most of us rapidly conclude that we cannot. To even make the statement that I exist as a unique entity requires comparison with something else. (If you exist as a distinct being, your distinctiveness is in comparison to other creations. No other creations, no individual you.)
— H.E. Davey, Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation
Meditation is like going to the bottom of the sea, where everything is calm and tranquil. On the surface of the sea there may be a multitude of waves but the sea is not affected below. In its deepest depths, the sea is all silence. When we start meditating, first we try to reach our own inner existence, our true existence- that is to say, the bottom of the sea. Then when the waves come from the outside world, we are not affected. Fear, doubt, worry and all the earthly turmoils just wash away, because inside us is solid peace. Thoughts cannot touch us, because our mind is all peace, all silence, all oneness. Like fish in the sea, they jump and swim but leave no mark. When we are in our highest meditation, we feel that we are the sea, and the animals in the sea cannot affect us. We feel that we are the sky, and all the birds flying past cannot affect us. Our mind is the sky and our heart is the infinite sea. This is meditation.
— Sri Chinmoy
Meditation is like hearing a voice on the telephone: there might be slight delays if the line is not perfect, but it is otherwise direct and requires no effort other than listening
— Sumangali Morhall, Auspicious Good Fortune: One woman's inspirational journey from Western disillusionment to Eastern spiritual fulfilment
In meditation which is a continuous flow of staying in the state at all times and in every circumstance there is neither suppression nor production of dwelling and proliferation; if there is dwelling, that is the dharmakaya’s own face and if there is proliferation, that is preserved as the self-liveliness of wisdom, so,“Then, whether there is proliferation or dwelling,”Whatever comes from mind’s liveliness as discursive thoughts, be it the truth of the source—afflictions of anger, attachment, and so on—or the truth of unsatisfactoriness—the flavours of experience which are the feelings of happiness, sadness, and so on—if the nature of the discursive thoughts is known as dharmata, they become the shifting events of the dharmakaya, so,“Anger, attachment, happiness, or sadness,”That does not finish it though; generally speaking if they are met with through the view but not finished with by bringing them to the state with meditation, they fall into ordinary wandering in confusion and if that happens, you are bound into cyclic existence by the discursive thoughts of your own mindstream and, dharma and your own mindstream having remained separate, you become an ordinary person who has nothing special about them. Not to be separated from a great non-meditated self-resting is what is needed . . .Additionally, whatever discursive thought or affliction arises, it is not something apart from dharmakaya wisdom, rather, the nature of those discursive thoughts is actual dharmakaya, the ground’s luminosity. If that, which is called ‘the mother luminosity resident in the ground’, is recognized, there is self-recognition of the view of self-knowing luminosity previously introduced by the guru and that is called ‘the luminosity of the practice path’. Abiding in one’s own face of the two luminosities of ground and path become inseparable is called ‘themeeting of mother and son luminosities’ so, “The previously-known mother luminosity joins with the son.
— Patrul Rinpoche, The Feature of the Expert, Glorious King: “Three Lines That Hit the Key Points.” Root text and commentary by Patrul Rinpoche
The author indicts "our culture's rush toward efficiency, speed, quantification, and distraction" and counters with the value of "the time and attention required to find the best words and images and then hold them together in ways that illuminate. This, she diagnoses, "is now wildly countercultural. It is inefficient. Its value is not readily quantifiable. Its utility is intangible.
— Cherie Harder
We’re so used to just glancing at the environment through the eyes of the past that we’re frequently not certain if we are in fact paying attention or if we merely think that we’re paying attention. Dynamic meditation in everyday existence involves the act of truthfully seeing.Many of us have changed some aspect of our appearance only to have this go unnoticed by friends. Perhaps you’ve shaved off a mustache, added a tattoo, or altered your hairstyle, but your acquaintances failed to initially notice. In such a case, your friends were looking at their environment through the eyes of the past instead of actually seeing what was taking place in the present.
— H.E. Davey, Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation
Indian forms of yoga have spread throughout the world due to their objectives of promoting health and harmony. Japan is but one of many countries that have received these age-old teachings. While Indian yogic disciplines (Hatha yoga in particular) have become well known, not everyone realizes that certain distinctive Japanese versions of Indian spiritual paths have evolved. Perhaps the first of these unique methodologies is the art of Shin-shin-toitsu-do, which was developed by Nakamura Tempu Sensei (1876–1968). In fact, Nakamura Sensei is often considered to be the father of yoga in Japan.
— H.E. Davey
Metta is the ability to embrace all parts of ourselves, as well as all parts of the world. Practicing metta illuminates our inner integrity because it relieves us of the need to deny different aspects of ourselves. We can open to everything with the healing force of love. When we feel love, our mind is expansive and open enough to include the entirety of life in full awareness, both its pleasures and its pains, we feel neither betrayed by pain or overcome by it, and thus we can contact that which is undamaged within us regardless of the situation. Metta sees truly that our integrity is inviolate, no matter what our life situation may be.
— Sharon Salzberg, Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
If we fail to realize our full potential as human beings, we live more on an animalistic level. This is fine for dogs, cats, and chimpanzees but doesn’t work quite so well for women and men. Without the capacity to freely shape our own lives, much as a sculptor might carve stone, we inevitably slip into negativity and depression.
— H.E. Davey, Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation
Just as there’s usually a space or interval between people passing on the street, even if it sometimes seems very small, a space also exists between thoughts. In your meditation, see if you can perceive this gap between thoughts. What is it, and does it belong to the realm of time? If it does not, then it’s unborn and undying, beyond all conditioning, which is a psychological carry-over from the past to the present.Whatever thoughts or internal conflicts come up—do nothing. Do not try to force them to cease or change. And don’t “do nothing” to still the mind, quiet fears, or resolve conflicts—all of this is doing something. It only leads to more struggling and prevents you from seeing the actual nature of thought and internal conflict. Genuine attention has no motive.This observation or listening doesn’t involve effort. Effort merely distracts you from what’s taking place in the instant. A kind of concentration exists that’s not forced. We’ve all experienced listening or paying attention to something we truly enjoyed. At that moment, was effort required for concentration to take place?
— H.E. Davey, Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation
Buddha ﬁrst taught metta meditation as an antidote: as a way of surmounting terrible fear when it arises.
— Sharon Salzberg, Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
Stillness offers an experience of being and a recognition that being . . . my essence . . . is a part of all Being, all Essence.
— Nancy J. Napier
To relinquish the futile effort to control change is one of the strengthening forces of true detachment & thus true love.
— Sharon Salzberg, Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
With attachment all that seems to exist is just me & that object I desire.
— Sharon Salzberg, Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
Theoretically, I wanted to meditate, but I found actually doing it extraordinarily difficult. As a therapist, I knew that we all want progress, but we resist change. I was a vivid example of this maxim. Figuring out my taxes and going to the dentist were easier than meditating. Even as I told myself meditation was a top priority, I worked to avoid that forty-five minutes alone with my mind.
— Mary Pipher, Seeking Peace: Chronicles of the Worst Buddhist in the World
Meditation is a mysterious method of self-restoration.It involves “shutting” out the outside world, and by that means sensing the universal “presence” which is, incidentally, absolute perfect peace.It is basically an existential “time-out”—a way to “come up for a breath of air” out of the noisy clutter of the world.But don’t be afraid, there is nothing arcane or supernatural or creepy about the notion of taking a time-out. Ball players do it. Kids do it, when prompted by their parents. Heck, even your computer does it (and sometimes not when you want it to).So, why not you?A meditation can be as simple as taking a series of easy breaths, and slowly, gently counting to ten in your mind.
— Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration
While I meditate on the gulf towards which I travelled, and reflect on my youthful disobedience, for these things I weep, mine eye runneth down with water.
— John Woolman
Like the tightly closed eyelids of a child trying to escape the reprimand of a parent, there is a part of the mind that needs to shut down in the face of an internal dialogue that is steeped in guilt, shame, and self-loathing.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Typically, awareness is only directed to the pronounced sensations of the body—the pleasurable and the painful. In yoga, over and over again, we witness the sensations of the body—the pleasant and unpleasant; the subtle and the overwhelming—neither seeking nor avoiding, and regarding all equally and without prejudice. It is through this nonjudgmental observation of sensation that the wisdom of the body is received, true healing is achieved, and the door to the unconscious mind is cast open.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Fundamentalism wears many masks, but always claims a monopoly on the Truth. Many people buy into fundamentalism in much the same way people buy cola to quench their thirst. There are elements of truth in fundamentalist thinking, just as water is an ingredient in cola. But just as the water loses much of its value when artificial flavors and colors are added, Truth loses itsvalue when guilt, shame, and rigid dogma are present. Fundamentalism is to the soul what artificial sweetener is to the body.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
The world would have us fill every space and occupy every corner of the mind. Yoga asks us to become empty; to come to the practice in openness and to allow the practice to remove our notions of good and bad,rich andpoor, health and disease; to sit and simply witness without shame, without guilt, and without judgment. Yoga allows us to let go of everything and hold on to nothing. It allows us to let go of our preconceptions about who or what God is, what it means to live a spiritual life, and how to achieve enlightenment.Whether slowly or in an instant, yoga empties us. What remains is a silence that surpasses understanding,is beyond words, and gives us the eyes to witness the suffering of the world, the ears to hear the world calling out forcompassion, and the heart to answer that call.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Do everything in mindfulness so you can really be there, so you can love.
— Thich Nhat Hanh, Reconciliation: Healing the Inner Child
It is easy to make the mistake of thinking yoga is about touching your toes when in fact yoga is about learning to touch others. Likewise, many people think the purpose of meditation is a perfectly still mind, when in fact, it is a more compassionate heart. Spiritual practice is measured by one’s ability to ease the suffering of the world one breath at a time.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Many look at the blessings in their lives—money, talent, love, abundance, and so on—and say, “I must be one of the chosen ones.”But the blessings in your life were not bestowed upon you to help you live a life of ease, but rather a life of service. You were chosen—chosen to serve.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
We live in a world that asks us to do rather than be; to achieve rather than shine; to form relationships that fulfill needs rather than celebrating wholeness. When we stop that cycle by practicing mindfulness, the axison which the world spins shifts entirely, and nothing you knew before will be of any value.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Within your ego mind there is a prison cell. Its bars are made of resentment and the door is hung on the hinges of disappointment and unfulfilled expectations. It is a cell, or so you imagine, for those you have not yet forgiven. This prison cell only lacks one thing—a lock for the door. And so youmust hold the door shut by force of will—expending tremendous energy to hold the door shut— energy that would otherwise be used to cultivate joy, creativity, and passion.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Many believe bliss and gratification to be synonyms, when in fact they are antonyms. Bliss is the nature of your most true Self and it is with you anytime you become still enough to listen. Gratification is what you seek to fill the imagined emptiness, and is generated by a false sense of self.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Attachment is the act of trying to control, manipulate, or sculpt the outside world in such a way that we lose sight of our true nature. Nonjudgmental observation allows a yogi to experience the external world as a mirror reflecting back one’s true nature.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
As a child, my father was a god to me—at times I loved him, at times I feared him, but I always wanted to be like him. As an adolescent, I resented my father for the sin of being human—for not being the god of my childhood. Then, as a young man, I felt sorry for my father because, in my arrogance, I believed he knew nothing and I knew everything. It was not until I held my own son for the first time that I truly understood my father. Now I can appreciate the man he is and the man he helped me to become.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
When we practice a yoga posture designed to challenge our balance, the use of a gazing point or drishti is a most effective way to maintain physical equanimity. The act of gazing without judgment or attachment is easily the most effective way to bring stability and balance to the pose. Likewise, whenthe poses of life rob us of our equanimity, gazing at the situation without attachment—without judgment—is the most effective tool we have to restore the mind to harmony.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Meditation alone cannot heal the world, but it can and does speed up the healing process.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Vipassana meditation is not an intellectual journey but an experiential awakening.
— Amit Ray
Books. The reading, writing and cultivation of books is my form of meditation. The books in my life have brought me closest to divinity.
— Casey Carter
The practice of meditation helps us to organize our thoughts and structure ourideas. Through the practice of meditation, we can open to the creative flow that is waiting to pour through us, infusing inspiration with passion. Meditation puts the mind in order and brings it under control, opening the door to receive this free flow of perfect energy. The unfocused mind is like a sledgehammer. The focused mind is like a sharp axe. Both tools can be used to take down a tree, but the axe is going to be much more efficient. Moreover, using the axe will allow you to work more swiftly, thereby saving much energy to get more done.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Jesus wisely counseled his followers to search for the kingdom of heaven within themselves; but to go within, one needs a door, a key, and the courage to turn the knob. Spiritual practice gives you all three.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
It may seem humble to belittle yourself, but it is every bit as arrogant as grandiosity. Just as it is impossible to be more than you were created to be, it is also impossible to be less. When we pretend to be more or less, we are destined to search for wholeness everywhere except where it actually resides—within.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Evolution is messy. Oftentimes our brains evolve more quickly than our capacity to love. Science has unlocked many mysteries of the universe by harnessing the human capacity for critical thinking, logic, and observation. Butwithout a spiritual science to help the heart keep pace, disaster is often the outcome. Rather than clean sources of energy, we develop atomic bombs. Rather than medicines that heal we develop biological and chemical weapons. Rather than technologies that allow us to share ideas and communicate, wefind ourselves more isolated and lonely than ever. Yoga, meditation, and other mystical practices are the spiritual counterpoint to western science. One unlocks the mind, the other opens the heart; and together they reveal humanity’s true potential.
— Darren Main
Yoga and meditation help us to achieve physical health, emotional balance, more connected relationships, and a more satisfying life. But to measure spiritual practice by these benefits is to miss the point entirely. The truemeasure of our practice is how we respond to life when we fall short of these things—when the body falls ill or the heart breaks.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
A teacher’s job is to see students’ potential before they can see it themselves; teachers need to have the faith and foresight to know they can actualize that potential and the wisdom to help students chart their course. It is only with this inner knowing that a teacher can invite the student, over and over again, to the edge of their comfort—and then give them a gentle nudge. In effect, a teacher is like the mother bird who can see her chicks flying before they realize they have wings.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
There's no such thing as positive thinking. There is, however, positive acting and positive doing, and positive being. Positive thinking is the reflection of such activities. You can't force yourself to think positively, but merely suppress negativity and get insane while pushing yourself along a river that flows on the opposite direction. Every life challenge is there to show you that you don't want to hit the rocks. It's really that simple when you look at things as they show themselves to you. You flow with the stream and you avoid the rocks along the way. That's positive thinking, even when you are angry about life, even when you're complaining, and even when you feel antagonistic with the world and the ones around you. That's the truth, simply because it will bring you back results. And that, you won't ever get by sitting on the floor and imagining emotions. You have the right to hate the rocks that come your away, as long as you keep paddling and enjoying the journey. There's no point in closing your eyes and pretending the rocks aren't there or trying to make them vanish with wishful thinking, or expecting a big magical bird to save you and take you in his wings for a pleasant flight in the skies.
— Robin Sacredfire
What I can tell you is that yoga is about removing the muck by shining the light of awareness on it. That is why yoga is so hard. None of us wants to look at the muck, but looking at it is the only way to dissolve it. Thus, there are many times that a yogi may feel filled with darkness. It’s not that the darknessarrived because of yoga; it’s that yoga made you aware of all the things that were holding you back. The good news is that with this awareness, you have the opportunity to dissolve the muck once and for all. However great the doubt, however deep the despair, you can take comfort in knowing that youare feeling these things because your yoga is doing exactly what it was designed to do. You can also take refuge in the knowledge that whatever you are feeling—whether high or low—will pass, because it always does.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
The hardest part of any yoga practice is rolling out your mat.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Apathy is the bushel basket under which the ego hides its fear of being powerless. It is easier to become apathetic when there are no words or actions sufficient to comfort a wounded body, a grieving heart, or ashattered community. And so we look away and avoid awkward conversations under the guise that we don’t want to upset others. Yet, the most powerful posture for a healer to take is that of the witness. To stand andwitness a person or community devastated by suffering, and to let them know that while they suffer they have a hand to hold, offers the most potent medicine of all—compassion.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
When infused with compassion, even the most useless snake oils have the power to heal broken hearts and shattered souls.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
In most forms of exercise one’s breath follows the movement—the faster and harder you work, the faster and harder you will breathe. In yoga, the exact opposite is true. Rather than changing the breath to match one’s movement, the movement is changed to follow the breath. In doing so, a yogi gains immediate and unconditional access to the deepest levels of consciousness, because just as breath and movement are connected, so too is the breath bound tightly to the mind.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
The narrow edge between comfort and discomfort is to a yogi what a grain of sand is to an oyster.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
The law of karma is like the wind—blowing on all. Whether you are good or evil, bright or dim, kind or unkind, there is no escaping the effects of your thoughts and the actions that arise from those thoughts. In fact, the onlydifference between the wise and the ignorant is that an illuminated mind erects windmills while the ignorant mind builds weather vanes.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
People slip spontaneously into moments of concentration all the time—while reading a book, exercising, playing chess, or creating art. A yogi seeks to experience that same level of concentration intentionally in a practice known as dharana—the act of purposefully narrowing the mind’s focus on the breath, the sensations of the body, a mantra, or a prayer bead. This consistent and purposeful focusing of the mind while on the yoga mat or meditation cushion gives the yogi the same level of focus in life, allowing for wild creativity and unfathomable productivity.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
The great paradox of life is that to fully live, we must let a piece of ourselves die.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Although you could open a can of soup with a hammer, a stone, or even your teeth if you didn’t mind making a mess or chipping a tooth, a much wiser approach would be to use a can opener. The breath is like a can opener for the soul. Can you explore the depths of your being without conscious breathing? Sure. The more relevant question is, why would you want to?
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Non-attachment doesn’t mean you forgo possessions, pleasure, or comfort. It simply means you are at peace when those things fail to show up in your life. It means that while you can enjoy moments of ease, you are equally at peace when pain, hardship, and struggle define a given moment.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Instead of asking, “How can I ease my suffering?” yoga would have us ask,“How can I better serve my brothers and sisters?” Because only in answering the latter can we hope to answer the former.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
The windmill doesn’t try to control the wind or demand that it blow in another direction. It simply surrenders to the wind, and in so doing becomes a source of immense power. The water wheel doesn’t attempt to change the course of the river; it simply surrenders to the flow and allows the power of the river tobe expressed through it. Most see surrender as a form of weakness, when in reality, surrender is the source of all true power.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Meditation on the holy Scriptures , free us from mental slavery.
— Lailah Gifty Akita
Standing at the end of a diving board looking at the water never made the water warmer, but it will make taking the plunge unnecessarily hard.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
What is it to succeed in yoga? Success in yoga means finding the smile buried deep beneath the pain and discomfort of any moment. Success in yoga is knowing that others were able to find a smile beneath their pain and discomfort because you were near. Success in yoga is speaking to yourself and others with compassion and kindness, even when you want to wield your words as weapons. Success in yoga is to listen more than you speak. Success in yoga is when mindfulness celebrates the joyful moments andbecomes a refuge for the painful ones. Success in yoga is to be grateful even for your pain, suffering, and challenges. Success in yoga is willingly taking the time to put the needs of another ahead of your own. Success in yoga is feeling fear rattle your bones and then doing it anyway. Success in yoga is not only finding your purpose in life, but also finding the courage and passion to live that purpose. Success in yoga is remembering that it was never about the number of times you fell but rather the number of times you got back up.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Once we understand cause and effect, we can stop complaining about the effects of our choices. We can start making more mindful decisions about the thoughts we entertain, the actions we perform, the people with whom weassociate, and the quality of life we want to live.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Why do we call yoga a practice? The yoga poses of life—the grief, the fear,the uncertainty—rarely offer us the option of coming to child pose or modifying the posture. The yoga mat offers us a safe and controlled environment in which we can witness our challenges, embrace our discomfort, and hold space for our struggles. A yoga practice doesn’t prevent the storms of life, but it does teach us to weather those storms more gracefully.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
The mind is the only level at which any lasting change can occur—it is the soil in which we plant our hopes and fears, habits, and patterns. What we plant in the mind will grow and bear fruit. Just as it would be pointless to complain about a carrot seed failing to produce a tomato, it is equally pointless to look at the garden of your life and complain about what you see growing there. We have to be willing to plant different seeds.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Just as a hug is the only way to express yourself when words are inadequate,mudras, or gestures, convey profound spiritual experiences that cannot adequately be expressed verbally. The most powerful,universal and healing mudra is a smile. When we overflow with joy, we cannot help but smile spontaneously. And when we are mired in doubt, fear, anxiety, and depression, a smile creates a map in the mind that leads us home to that joy that is hidden in even the darkest moments of our life. It is one thing to know that joy is possible in any moment—in any situation. It is anotherskill entirely to know when to find that joy when your world is crumbling around you. The map is with you always—just smile!
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Guilt is like tarnish on a piece of silver. It effectively obscures beauty and radiance, but can never lessen its true value. Just as the true beauty and value of silver is revealed with a little bit of polish, your true worth will shine with regular spiritual practice.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
Just as one goes on a fast or a body cleanse you owe it to yourselves to detox your mind, it will not be easy but easy never yielded lasting results.
— Aysha Taryam
Most people spend years trying to feng shui their lives—to decorate and reorganize life in such a way that order and peace will finally arrive. One can decorate and redecorate for years, but a fresh coat of paint is not going to patch the cracks in your foundation—the only way to do this is through the practice of non-attachment.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living
The truth about yourself is so near, so close, that it is very difficult to perceive. Just as it is difficult to style your hair, apply makeup, or shave without a mirror, we require a mirror of sorts to spiritually groom ourselves. For most, that mirror is relationships with others. People who wear masks of untrustworthiness, dishonesty, selfishness, and greed see those qualities reflected back from everyone they meet—even the most noble souls who cross their paths. But people who have put their masks aside are able to experience compassion, love, and wholeness in others, even in their adversaries—even in those who are still mired in a tangled web of fear, insecurity, and abrasiveness.
— Darren Main, The River of Wisdom: Reflections on Yoga, Meditation, and Mindful Living