Article on 'The Miracle of Mindfulness' in the NYT - Jan 16, 2025

 https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/well/mind/thich-nhat-hanh-mindfulness-book.html?rsrc=flt&unlocked_article_code=1.p04.zr0s.ChV8DZjCL8RE&smid=url-share

Ten thousand flowers in Spring

Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn,

a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter.
If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things,
this is the best season of your life.

________________

“Ten Thousand Flowers in Spring” by Wu-Men, The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry. © Harper Perennial, 1993.

I worried by Mary Oliver

 

I Worried
Mary Oliver

I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers
flow in the right direction, will the earth turn
as it was taught, and if not how shall
I correct it?
Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,
can I do better?
Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows
can do it and I am, well,
hopeless.
Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,
am I going to get rheumatism,
lockjaw, dementia?
Finally, I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And gave it up. And took my old body
and went out into the morning,
and sang.

To Every Thing There is a Season

To Every Thing There Is A Season

By Lee Reich | Published: January 10, 2015

Pruning is reduced to small steps, in time & process

So many branches, so little time. Or so it seems. Annual pruning is needed to get the best out of most trees, shrubs, and vines, of which there are many here on my farmden.

But wait. My brother once remarked — and the remark rang true — that a large part of feeling overburdened from so much to do comes from thinking about it, rather than doing it. And now that I think about it — if I may be allowed a bit more thought — many trees, shrubs, and vines do not need annual pruning except for size control, in which case a different plant or dwarfer variety could have been planted. My witch hazel shrub is in that hardly-ever-needs-pruning category, as is fothergilla, goumi (an attractive shrub with tasty fruits), mountain laurel, and rhododendron. 

I Worried - Mary Oliver

 

I Worried

I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers
flow in the right direction, will the earth turn
as it was taught, and if not how shall
I correct it?

Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,
can I do better?
Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows
can do it and I am, well,
hopeless.

Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,
am I going to get rheumatism,
lockjaw, dementia

Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing.
And I gave it up. And took my old body
and went out into the morning,
and sang.

© 2010 by Mary Oliver
Published by Beacon Press in Swan: Poems and Prose Poems

Caring for Our Worry - Thich Nhat Hanh

Caring for Our Worry - A Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh

“It is in moments like this that we stick to our mindful breathing and gently recognize our afflictions, whether anger, frustration, or fear. Suppose we are feeling worry or anxiety. We practice, ‘Breathing in, I know that anxiety is in me. Breathing out, I smile to my anxiety.’

Maybe you have a habit of worrying. Even if you know it’s neither necessary nor useful, you still worry. You’d like to ban worry and get rid of it, because you know that when you worry you can’t get in touch with the wonders of life and you can’t be happy. So you get angry at your worry; you don’t want it. But worry is a part of you, and that’s why when your worry comes up, you have to know how to handle it tenderly and peacefully.

You can do it if you have the energy of mindfulness. You cultivate the energy of mindfulness with mindful breathing and mindful walking, and with that energy, you can recognize and tenderly embrace your worry, fear, and anger. When your baby suffers and cries, you don’t want to punish him or her, because your baby is you. Your fear and anger are like your baby. Don’t imagine that you can just throw them out the window. Don’t be violent toward your anger, your fear, and your worries.” 

―  Thich Nhat Hanh, Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm

If you worry about what might be, an...

If you worry about what might be, and wonder what might have been, you will ignore what is. ~ Anonymous

Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. ~ Benjamin Franklin

Little minds have little worries, big minds have no time for worries. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson http://t.co/RLTaaJIuEh/s/7sVb

Let go of the Daydream, Embrace the Day

Let Go of the Daydream, Embrace the Day

Reflection on impermanence and death is an excellent opponent force for worry and for craving. When we reflect on impermanence and our own mortality, our priorities become much clearer. Since we know that death is certain but its time isn't, we realize that having a positive mental state in the present is of utmost importance. Worry can't abide in a mind that is content with what we have, do, and are. Seeing that all things are transient, we stop craving and clinging to them, thus our happy memories and enjoyable daydreams cease to be so compelling.

--Thubten Chodron, from Taming the Mind (Snow Lion)

The Value of the Present Moment

The Value of the Present Moment

Recognizing that past turmoil and future rhapsodies are projections of our mind prevents us from getting stuck in them. Just as the face in the mirror is not a real face, the objects of our memories and daydreams are likewise unreal. They are not happening now; they are simply mental images flickering in the mind.

Reflecting on the value of our precious human life also minimizes our habit of ruminating. Our wondrous potential becomes clear, and the rarity and value of the present opportunity shines forth. Who wants to ruminate about the past and future when we can do so much good and progress spiritually in the present.

–Thubten Chodron, from Taming the Mind (Snow Lion)

Let Go of the Daydream, Embrace the Day

Let Go of the Daydream, Embrace the Day

Reflection on impermanence and death is an excellent opponent force for worry and for craving. When we reflect on impermanence and our own mortality, our priorities become much clearer. Since we know that death is certain but its time isn't, we realize that having a positive mental state in the present is of utmost importance. Worry can't abide in a mind that is content with what we have, do, and are. Seeing that all things are transient, we stop craving and clinging to them, thus our happy memories and enjoyable daydreams cease to be so compelling.

--Thubten Chodron, from Taming the Mind (Snow Lion)

Open the Doorway of Impermanence

Open the Doorway of Impermanence

Reflecting on our own impermanence helps us stop following the dissatisfied mind of desire whose impulses are seen as without meaning in the face of death. When we don’t face impermanence and death, our lives become busy, complicated, and stressful. When we do face them, our lives become simpler and more full of meaning. Our fear of or aversion to facing these subjects is a trick that the mind plays on itself, which keeps us caught in the trap of self-centered, compulsive, neurotic egotism. The illusion that we exist as solid, permanent entities is in fact a trap or prison for our hearts; facing the truth about impermanence is the doorway out.

–Lorne Ladner, from The Lost Art of Compassion (HarperSanFrancisco)

Let Go of the Daydream, Embrace the Day

Let Go of the Daydream, Embrace the Day

Reflection on impermanence and death is an excellent opponent force for worry and for craving. When we reflect on impermanence and our own mortality, our priorities become much clearer. Since we know that death is certain but its time isn't, we realize that having a positive mental state in the present is of utmost importance. Worry can't abide in a mind that is content with what we have, do, and are. Seeing that all things are transient, we stop craving and clinging to them, thus our happy memories and enjoyable daydreams cease to be so compelling.

--Thubten Chodron, from Taming the Mind (Snow Lion)

from Issa

Don't worry, Spider
I keep house casually.

A haiku presented at a class in Menomonie. It's about acceptance of the hook and living with the hook, but not being hooked.

If I can live life with that vision, that understanding, I could live so much more peacefully... not grasping... or at least less grasping... more understanding that we are all connected... if I believed that others saw me in a non-threatening way... a valued person, but not one that intended harm.. and if could in fact I could keep all my house casually... if the universe could be kept casually.

The hook works when I give in to the fear... the fear which is one of those emotions engendered by one of those thoughts... see the humor in the thoughts and the emotions. Growing up.