Best Of
Re: The stories we tell ourselves
This morning I find that I am not just the sum total of what I have experienced, thought, read and dreamt… it is all running and melting together like a Salvador Dali painting. A little sitting will help me today, I think.
Jeroen
Re: Is being empathic a good thing?
When Buddhists 'Train the Mind', they are also unfolding the locks into impeded emotions, speech, body and karmic nots and knots.
We all knew that wisdom, empathy, body calming, emotional stability, strength of peace and piece of heaven realms, are all possible and even passable …
2023, no need to change anything but everything … 
lobster
Re: The stories we tell ourselves
Our egos/identities/ or the selfish self are little more than a continual retelling of our origin stories. Such re-tellings have usually become so habituated that we seldom recognize the sheer magnitude of our moment-to-moment contributions to their continuance. Here, a story keeps us from awakening from a slumbering dream.
Meditation simply describes how to start letting go of that story maintenance.
how
The stories we tell ourselves
Something that occurred to me: we continually tell ourselves stories from our past, which form our identities. We tell ourselves, I was once an Osho sannyasin, or I led teams making huge software programs in the entertainment industry, or I once suffered a terrible repetitive strain injury.
It is only when we become quiet inside, and we drop telling ourselves stories, that that which shines from within gets the room to manifest. Our loving nature, our generosity, our non-violence, our kindness comes, even if unlooked-for, even in difficult situations.
When we cease to tell the old stories or listen to them, we cease to act from old patterns. But it takes time to empty the inside, there are places within us where things are stored, and that is why three-year silent retreats are valued among the Tibetans.
“Just be quiet.”
— Sri Ramana Maharshi
Jeroen
Re: Is being empathic a good thing?
Yes it happens to me with unexpected hurts from other people.
I think I have just accepted that’s just the way I am. I have an extra large jugular and it shows. It takes a long time to stop bleeding before I can respond, if at all.
As a Christian’s i must expect that a world of sin will not be a bed of roses. Yet I also must keep a hope for the best. Its a fine balance. An attitude. For me it means others will disappoint me a lot. They will go for the jugular and I must be ready.
Being constantly on the battlefield like this is a daily consideration i am constantly learning to master and nurture.
Blessings/ Metta.
Re: The afterlife and how we live
@Shoshin1 said:
The afterlife and how we live
Hmm what I want from my life's path ?
To live life with no regrets .... or at least try (make a serious attempt) to live life with no regrets...
In my experience, having no regrets has a lot to do with forgiveness for others, and with seeing clearly your own circumstances at different times in your life.
And I guess by understanding the 4NTs & practicing the 8FP eg, right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samadhi.... will (thus have I heard) help to achieve this...
The various elements of buddhism do more to bring your mind and life into balance and focus overall than anything else. It goes quite deep, one’s experience with buddhism. You could also say that buddhism helps you realise those areas of your life where you are not already in accord with the Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
Jeroen
Re: Do we know what we are doing?
Human nature being human nature...Life is trial & error...and for the most part we tend to learn from our mistakes (at times some of life's lessons may take a little longer to learn)
And may the New Year be full of joyful moments ...
Shoshin1
Re: The nature of jealousy
The nature of jealousy
In a nutshell one could say, the nature of jealousy is craving/Taṇhā....
The desire to have what another person has and aversion because they have it and you don't want them to have it...
Which I guess are the two sides of the (same) coin Taṇhā .... Both have equal (de)value...
Shoshin1