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“Cultivating mental clarity is all about your willingness to give up logical thinking and avoid getting trapped in a spider’s web of words and thoughts”, Monk Tsuda tells us as we settle on to the straw-matted floor in as close to a lotus position as we can physically manage. For more than a decade, I’ve been struggling with understanding the concept of stillness. In some way it possesses the ability to trigger peace and anxiety almost simultaneously in equal measures and intensity. Spending time with Monk Tsuda - third generation Zen Master and head priest at the Kyoto based Daishin-in temple - provided a new refreshing approach to the notion of self and how that self-realization is related to the ability to become a mere observer of your thoughts, and therefore in turn can foster stillness. “Human beings can’t learn this truth by rational thought, nor by studying scriptures, rites or rituals”, he continues. “It requires practicing stillness on a daily level in witch the aim isn’t to clear your mind entirely, but just to make mini steps towards letting your thoughts fully go”. Excerpt from a recent story on Japanese Zen Buddhism.
instagram.comAttention to the ways of the self, understanding that fear, desire, and anger are natural but that you don’t have to act them out or have everything you want—this insight dissolves mental anguish without adding to it.
J. Krishnamurti • What Are You Doing With Your Life?
As the saying goes, pain is inevitable but suffering is optional. If you can simply stay present with whatever is arising in awareness—whether it’s a first dart or a second one—without reacting further, then you will break the chain of suffering right there. Over time, through training and shaping your mind and brain, you can even change what arise
... See moreRick Hanson • Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom
Buddhism promoted the idea that our thoughts make up our emotional reality and that the bulk of our suffering comes from clinging to painful beliefs that exhaust and hurt us. According to Buddhism, in order to free ourselves from needless suffering, we must investigate our rigid beliefs and seek compassion for both ourselves and other people.
Lindsay C. Gibson • Self-Care for Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: Honor Your Emotions, Nurture Your Self, and Live with Confidence
Buddhism uses both approaches. Pinpointing the nature of frustration, dissatisfaction, anxiety, irritation, and the like pertains to the first of the Four Noble Truths: the reality of suffering. Here the Buddha said, "This is the reality of suffering. Recognize it!" Don't remain in denial; move toward understanding.