citaat

what kind of mind are we living in?

Gepubliceerdop okt 15, 2017

we live in our mind
we take our mind with us everywhere
even in our sleep we cannot leave it behind

how we live in our mind is up to us

You have this country and you try to make it a pleasant place for you to live in, you grow trees and you keep it clean. And you have your homes, your rooms, which you keep clean, decorate, try to make it a pleasing environment. And we have our bodies, which we keep clean, we eat the right food, excercise and we try to make ourselves look attractive, keep healthy and fit. But the place we really live, is in our mind. And how much time and effort do we give to making our mind a pleasant place in which to dwell? To cleaning it, to opening up the windows to let some fresh air in, to decorate it beautifully, to make it a fit place to stay so that we live in our mind comfortably and we are at home in our mind, so that our mind is a friend to us.

This is very important because if we don’t have a peaceful friendly mind its very hard to be peaceful and friendly to our families, in our workplace, with our neighbours and in the country and from there to the world.

The kind of society we have reflects the mind of the people living in that society. So each one of us is culpable of the society we live in. Who made the rules? Who elected the politicians who made the rules? Who goes along with the rules that have been made? Each of us is responsible. We cannot just put the blame on other people, each one of us has the responsibility to develop our selves, our minds, to open up our heart.

So often people feel quite helpless and hopeless: what can I do, I am just one? But each of us is not sealed in a bubble, each one of us is constantly interacting with other beings; and even on that level how much time do we spend each day trying to make each other happy?  Our colleages, our family, the peolpe we meet? Are we kind? Is our speech kind? Do we make people feel better for having matters or worse?  If a society is full of people who are kind to each other, all other, then that is a very different society from one where people disregard each other, where people speak rudely to each other or despise each other.

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo

(meer…)

geestelijke ruimte

Gepubliceerdop okt 14, 2017

The essence of our mind is completely pure, it’s not true that we are sinners. Our true mind is something incredibly vast, open and spatious, it is not this little brain in which we run around like a rat in a cage. … Mind is compared to the sky: it has no centre, no boundary. … If there was no space we couldn’t exist, there would be no tables and chairs and people. Tables, chairs and people are also space and therefore space is all pervading. For this reason it is compared with the nature of the mind which is all pervading: not this little brain which is trapped within our head. We’re talking about a much deeper level of awareness.

Mind is compared to the sky because you cannot grasp it and think: this is me. But at the same time it is not like the sky because it is conscious. The very essence of our mind is awareness and this we all share! When we go beyond our ego, the sense of ‘I’ and ‘others’ does not pertain, it’s not there. We recognize our interconnection with all beings. … This is why we as human beings need to go back to our true nature: for as long as the ego is running things we have chaos -as we see in the world. The world is run by egomaniacs and look what harm!

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo

(meer…)

de leegte in

Gepubliceerdop okt 12, 2017

Als je zonder inspanning inademt, kom je vanzelf terug met een bepaalde kleur of vorm. Tijdens het uitademen vervaag je geleidelijk in de leegte – leeg, wit papier. Dat is shikantaza. Vooral je uitademing is belangrijk. Probeer in plaats van jezelf te voelen tijdens het inademen, tijdens het uitademen in de leegte te verdwijnen.
Als je dit beoefent in het laatste moment van je leven, hoef je nergens bang voor te zijn. Je mikt dan al op de leegte. Als je uitademt met dat gevoel, word je één met alles. Als je nog leeft, adem je daarna natuurlijk weer in. ‘O, ik leef nog! Gelukkig of helaas!’ Dan begin je weer uit te ademen en te verdwijnen in de leegte. …
Als je deze oefening doet, word je niet gauw boos. Als je meer geïnteresseerd bent in inademen dan in uitademen, word je erg gauw boos. Je probeert steeds te leven. … Sterven is belangrijker dan leven. Als we altijd maar proberen te leven, hebben we het moeilijk. … Als we proberen actief te zijn en bijzonder en iets te bereiken, kunnen we onszelf niet tot uitdrukking brengen. Het kleine ik komt tot uitdrukking, maar het grote zelf komt niet uit de leegte tevoorschijn.

Shunryu Suzuki

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geven vanuit zelfrespect

Gepubliceerdop okt 9, 2017

In a world where women have been seen traditionally as someone’s wife, mother, daughter, or sister, why would a woman choose to follow a spiritual path? Perhaps because, deep inside every woman has a longing to “be” someone in her own right—fully aware of herself, confident and in control. When we talk of spiritual power, we are in fact referring to the original power of the self to be whole and independent—free from the web of domination and suppression, free from the need to exist for someone else’s sake. … Women know how to serve and how to give. Often the notion of service or of putting others in front has been seen as a sign of weakness or lack of power. Quite the opposite is true. The ability to bow before others, with true humility, is the sign of the greatness of a soul who has conquered ego.

However this quality of giving to others must also be balanced with qualities of courage, determination, clear thinking and self-respect. Too often, women have a tendency to give to others and neglect their own spiritual needs. It is one of the major reasons women find themselves depleted and lacking in spiritual power. The foundation for assuming spiritual leadership is thus a change of consciousness. … The quality of self-respect comes from the knowledge and experience of the eternal self which is beyond social, cultural or physical identity. The eternal self or soul is pure, peaceful and complete with divine and spiritual qualities. When women touch this inner, eternal core, they gain the courage to play the part they are capable of.

Spiritual power is an expression of the inherent qualities of the spirit and has nothing to do with gender or physical limitations. Feelings of domination or suppression occur when there is the awareness of superiority or inferiority. Feelings of equality, however, manifest when there is the consciousness of spirit or soul. These feelings and attitudes can be expressed in actions with positive results. – Sudesh Didi

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heart-mind awareness

Gepubliceerdop okt 8, 2017

If we learn to keep our mind quiet through meditation, to just stay present with our feelings, to connect with our heart, to let go of the story lines, and to directly feel all the unpleasant sensations associated with our emotional hurts, then the heart will open and we can approach each situation from a wider perspective. Meditation practice and the cultivation of heart-mind awareness give us the opportunity to respond to our emotions in a very nonviolent and compassionate way.

Gerry Shishin Wick

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de zachte kant van de mens

Gepubliceerdop okt 7, 2017

“The feminine principle is a subtle energy, which has remained untapped within the psyche of both men and women. It is merged in the essence of our spiritual identity and is marked by qualities attributed to the more gentle side of the human being – care, respect, trust, patience, loyalty, love honesty, empathy, and mercy. When this principle is understood and realised, it is a force so powerful that it awakens us to new realities and realigns us to the true purpose and meaning of life. Both men and women possess this feminine principle but throughout history it has often been equated with emotion, weakness, and vulnerability and, in the context of social, economic, and political issues, flushed from the mainstream of development to a backwater and then labelled as ‘women’s issues’. The feminine principle was thereby controlled and crushed by the iron hand of patriarchal power, which almost invariably demanded nothing less than the sacrifice of intuition at the altar of rigid logic, the suppression of gentleness for the sake of brute strength, and the compliance of women with the dominance of men.

If the problems which have arisen through the suppression and control of this principle are to be corrected in a way that will last, then this must be done through a change of consciousness rather than a reversal of positions, roles: a change of consciousness which takes its birth from a base of spirituality and not from a base of sexuality. The feminine principle, this untapped subtle potential that lies at the core of our being, must now be realised to restore a balance between intellect and intuition, facts and feelings, reason and realism.” – Gayatri Naraine 

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de yogi en de dienares

Gepubliceerdop okt 6, 2017

Padmasambhava (Tibetaans: Goeroe Rinpoche = kostbare leraar) vroeg tijdens zijn spirituele reis om onderricht aan yogi’s en yogini’s. Als hij de zeer bekwame yogini Geheime Wijsheid om onderricht wil vragen ontmoet hij haar dienares Kumari, die met een juk over haar schouders water aan het halen is. Zij negeert zijn herhaaldelijke verzoeken om een onderhoud bij de koningin en gaat stil door met het halen van water, daarom nagelt hij met zijn bovennatuurlijke krachten de zware kruiken die aan haar juk hangen aan de grond . “Ze laat het juk van haar schouders glijden, gaat pal voor Padmasambhava staan en roept uit: ‘U hebt grote yogische krachten ontwikkeld, machtige heer, maar wat vindt u van de mijne?’ Met deze woorden trekt ze een fonkelend kristallen mes en snijdt resoluut haar hartcentrum open, waardoor ze de energierijke en onmetelijke grote innerlijke ruimte van haar lichaam blootlegt.” Goeroe Rinpoche schaamt zich beseffende met wie hij te maken heeft en buigt voor haar en vraagt weer om onderricht bij de koningin. Kumari toont ook haar respect voor hem en vervolgens brengt ze hem, immers zijnde haar dienares, naar de koningin.

Judith Simmer Brown legt in haar boek “Het vrouwelijk principe in het Tibetaans boeddhisme” uit wat de betekenis is van dit verhaal. Kumari representeert de ‘dakini’. “Zoals we kunnen afleiden uit de naam Kumari (‘mooi meisje, kroonprinses’) is ze in haar optreden weliswaar nederig, maar in haar begrip en de aard van de werkelijkheid is ze koninklijk en imponerend. Zoals bij veel dakini’s is haar onderricht direct, niet met woorden maar met daden. Ze onderwijst specifiek met haar lichaam en snijdt haar eigen hart open om haar wijsheid te openbaren.  … (meer…)

ontwaken

Gepubliceerdop okt 6, 2017

Life and death are of supreme importance
Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost
Each of us should strive to awaken.
Awaken. Take heed, do not squander your life.

Dogen Zenji

Leven en dood zijn van het uiterste belang. De tijd gaat snel voorbij en mogelijkheden gaan verloren. Ieder van ons moet proberen te ontwaken. Ontwaak. Neem dit ter harte en verdoe je leven niet.