Sonia Connolly’s latest article Haunted by Shame? Change Your Committee!

Marilyn ~ I hope the spring in your step continues. The blog post you wrote is beautiful. Thanks for the love, I send it right back to you.

STeLLa I value your courage and your authentic voice, too.

Shannon Thank you so much this beautiful story. I’m so glad the Tibetans were there, chanting on what would have been your Dad’s birthday. I know that I’m a bit biased, but I always feel blessed in the presence of Tibetan monks. I’m glad you received their healing gifts and wisdom on that day.

“breathing in the troubles, concerns, and heaviness of the world, feeling them as they pass through, then exhaling love” Yes. That’s a description of Tonglen meditation practice. It probably was me. :) On Twitter. :) Makes me happy… Much love to you.

Melynda Your knightly virtues – courage, generosity, compassion, loyalty, steadfastness, self-sacrifice, and nobility of bearing – remind me of the 6 Paramitas or Perfections in Buddhism. Generosity, ethics, patience, joyous effort / perseverance, concentration and wisdom. (Some traditions signify 10 Perfections.) All in all, excellent guidance for living!

Vincent ~ Thank you for your insights and loving-kindness. You are right, I experience much what is happening to my body as various aspects of chemical imbalance. One challenge is to not feel powerless because much of this is beyond my control. For example my health is seriously effected by damp weather. When I see days of rain ahead in the weather forecast, I have to work with my mind not to become depressed in advance.

I was so interested in your words about being a brahmacari monk, and trained to meditate “only in the most perfect conditions. That means, we are neither hungry nor full, neither sick nor sleepy.” Certainly I understand not doing anything that would cause yourself harm, such as doing a meditation practice that was too intense or asked you to fast and so forth. But for me, meditation is where I remember I am not this body. It’s where I’ve built a life founded on loving and compassion – that cannot be limited by any aspect of health, wealth or outward events. Also, my illness has been a source of inspiring me of wanting to meditate further for the benefit of others. I recognize how small my troubles are compared to most. And I also realize how short this lifespan is, and how we never know when it may end. In the midst of this illness, I say to myself, well, who knows this may be as healthy as I ever feel again in this lifetime. So I can’t stop meditation.

Finally, I delight in these words of yours “Let´s not worry about our real selves. The real self transcends [these] material experiences.” Thank you, Vincent.

Stephanie ~ Thank you for taking time to read and comment. I’m happy with whatever inspiration you may find here.

Chris ~ “…the mind will take our humanness and our limitations and our suffering to then create more suffering …it blinds us with confusion about who we really are.” I often wonder why we / I still haven’t learned yet. Ahhhh, practice!

Thank you so much for your kind words. And absolutely (!) “Thank the goddess for the Marybeth’s in the world.”

OK, I must run now. Will thank the rest of you lovelies when I’m back at my computer.

I think that inner light is our default and we let the sorrow and darkness of the world forget it. Thank you for the beautiful reminder!

What a beautiful post! It’s such a wonderful reminder about how the mind will take our humanness and our limitations and our suffering to then create more suffering. And how it blinds us with confusion about who we really are. Thank the goddess for the Mary Beth’s in the world who can see through that veil so clearly to the core of light and love that is always there.

And thank YOU for being such a wonderful role model and pathfinder for how to continue to make that ongoing journey to love.
chris zydel´s last blog ..Ghost Ranch 2009: Bringing The Magic Of Being On Retreat Back Home