Some Thoughts on Thinking

Mindfulness practice helps us see when our thought stream is taking us off the rails. We can pause, remind ourselves at any time, that what we’re thinking isn’t actually happening, take a few deep breaths and refocus on the things of the moment in front of us.

This is especially helpful if we’re experiencing difficult emotions. You can pause whatever thought train that’s telling you you’re not okay, and remind yourself you’re doing the best you can, this is just a difficult passage.

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The Misconception of Meditation

There’s a popular misconception about meditation.

That is that we have to make our minds still, to silence the stream of thoughts that flow through our awareness and have a quiet mind. Otherwise we’re doing it wrong. This is simply not the case. It’s impossible for most people to quiet the mind. The mind generates thoughts, in the same way that the heart beats or the lungs breathe. The mind generates thoughts in the same way the the digestive system generates gastric juices so we can digest our food. Meditation is a gentleness practice.

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Buddha, Mara and the Illusion of Self Doubt

Buddha, a fully awakened being, struggled with doubts and confusion throughout his life. And he always met them with gentle acknowledgement and kindness....Buddha teaches us to make friends with our doubts, our fears and our insecurities. Only by looking directly at these things can we heal them. For we can’t let go of what we haven’t embraced.

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