A zen master's life is one continuous mistake. ~ Dogen
On forgiveness: The Sun never says to the earth you owe me. Look what happens to a love like this, It lights up the whole world. Poem by Hafiz. ~ Andrea
Gleanings from Carrie Grossman's Insight Talk on Feb 28, 2021: on patterns of self-image
Beauty in the broken parts...a Japanese art form of putting broken pottery back together.
- There’s no such thing as perfection. It’s not our strengths that connect us, it’s our vulnerabilities. ~ Angela
- Yes perfectionism is BORING and disconnecting, maybe because it is hiding the imperfection that is real. The Velveteen Rabbit, lived, shabby and therefore real. ~Wen
- A failure is a stepping stone on the way to somewhere else. ~ Carrie Grossman...
- Sign seen in temple in Thailand --- "in a hundred years, all new people!" ~ implication is to let go of shame or whatever is the breeding ground of 'perfectionism'....no need to prove who we are.
- Working hard to give myself the same compassion and acceptance I give to others. Not easy but baby steps... ~ Maggie
- First steps to changing the channel is to acknowledge our suffering (eg. how hard we are on ourselves), then we can find the antidote to this. Our own awareness can be so healing, our own presence to ourselves...shine a light on that. ~ Carrie
- "Forget your perfect offering!" ~ a koan? 'It is what it is...it's not about perfection'.. maybe the perfection is in the messiness itself. 'The mirage of perfection.'
- We cannot connect with each other if we are expecting perfection. ~ Carrie
- A forgiveness practice: a song called '
- Davidji Heart Salutations
- "THE GIFTS OF IMPERFECTION", Brene Brown
- ~~' Remembrance of what we already are.'
- Pema Chodron ---'there is no need for self-improvement...identities we so desperately cling to. ...only clouds that block the sun.' ..
- deep quiet place within us, the light within...is untouched by these identities, these judgments.
- Upanishads: nothing we do can take away our innate wholeness. 'God don't make no junk'.
